A solar energy-focused offshoot of the Kyocera Group has announced its intent to begin manufacturing solar energy modules at their San Diego-based facility in the hopes of serving a growing demand for clean and renewable energy sources. Kyocera Solar, which has its operating headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona and serves thousands of customers around the world,… Read more »
Screen printing leader DEK Solar has revealed a range of technologies designed to provide advanced support for specialist photovoltaic applications. In addition to the dedicated PV1200 and PV3000 solar platforms, DEK’s specialist platforms meet the requirements of diverse PV challenges – from large-scale production to flexible or non-standard substrates. As a global technology leader with… Read more »
The orders include the supply of 139 MECASOLAR trackers (1.5 MW) for the island of Crete manufactured in the company’s factory in Thessaloniki. § In the first of the contracts, PROINSO will supply 900 kW of modules and SMA inverters for solar photovoltaic projects in Crete, developed by the Greek company Hellas ADIVA.§ The second… Read more »
George Monbiot’s attack on solar energy and the government’s “cash-back” solar photovoltaic (PV) market-building scheme paints a distorted picture of the industry I work in, and government policy towards it (Are we really going to let ourselves be duped into this solar panel rip-off?, 2 March). First, Monbiot gets the workability of solar wrong. He… Read more »
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited has announced that it has entered into a sales agreement to provide green energy to SunDurance Energy for much of the next year. Under the agreement, the New Jersey-based SunDurance will receive more than 10 megawatts of photovoltaic solar energy modules over the first three quarters of 2010. Liansheng… Read more »
China will step up efforts to promote the development of its wind power industry so as to make full use of its wind resources, said Zhang Guobao, director of the National Energy Administration, yesterday. China’s installed wind power capacity is only 22 million kilowatt, far less than its wind energy resources of about 2.6 billion… Read more »
More than 5,000 MECASOLAR trackers installed in the Grupo OPDE photovoltaic solar farms in Spain have endured with great strength over the weekend of 26 and 27 February, the winds that swept the Iberian Peninsula from north to south caused by the explosive cyclogenesis and which reached speeds of up to 200 km / h… Read more »
SunPower Inc. and Toshiba Corporation have entered into an agreement that will help the Japanese electronics company unveil a new solar energy-based undertaking to begin the new decade. As part of the strategic supply agreement between the two companies, Toshiba will order 32 megawatts worth of high-efficiency solar panels that will be manufactured by SunPower… Read more »
Although concentred solar power (CSP) generation is probably better known, solar thermal (ST) collectors employ a much lower level of technology and convert far more of the sun’s energy into useful heat, according to a new market analysis. The report “Solar Thermal Power Report” by ReportBuyer describes solar thermal energy technology in its various applications,… Read more »
Incentive pays for 30 percent of home photovoltaic projects Xcel Energy announced Monday the launch of incentives for Minnesota electricity customers to install solar panels on top of their homes and businesses. The Minneapolis-based utility’s Solar*Rewards program, designed to encourage solar energy growth in the state, includes a one-time payment of $2.25 per installed watt… Read more »
The three new inverters in the SolarMax TS series have rated capacities of 50, 80 and 100 kilowatts and work in the MPP range of 430 to 800 Volts. The devices are highly compact and are better protected against dirt than their predecessor models in the SolarMax C series. In addition, Sputnik’s developers have succeeded… Read more »
Oldcastle Precast, Inc., the leading manufacturer of precast concrete, polymer concrete, and plastic products in the United States, showcases their innovative patent pending precast ballasted footings for solar panel mounting. The patent pending footing designs are used for solar power systems that utilize Photovoltaic (PV) technologies such as fixed tilt, single axis, or dual axis… Read more »
A Chinese solar energy company is proposing to build a solar-panel plant in Austin, investing $20.7 million and creating more than 300 jobs. In return, the city of Austin is proposing to give the company an 80-percent break on property taxes on the plant and equipment. Yingli Green Energy, the U.S. subsidiary of a large… Read more »
The biggest boat to be powered by solar energy, left, has been displayed in Germany before it begins preparations to circumnavigate the globe. The 31m (100ft) by 15m catamaran, PlanetSolar, has been developed to be silent and clean, its Swiss-based maker said. The ship will be able to travel at a top speed of 15… Read more »
At the Renewable Energy Expo and World Conference in Austin, Texas yesterday, solar energy received accolades from the editors and readers of the Renewable Energy World network of publications. The Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards are intended to recognize projects, people, and companies for “advancing the market for renewable energy in North America”. Of the… Read more »
The Chevron Corporation has announced that it will be constructing a new photovoltaic solar panel facility on the site of one of its molybdenum mines in Questa, New Mexico. The solar energy facility will consist of approximately 175 solar panels spread across 20 acres of land, making it the largest concentrating solar photovoltaic installation in… Read more »
For homeowners and businesses, a big part of the appeal of “going solar” is the chance to offset their energy bills by earning credit for the power they generate. State law requires investor-owned utilities such as the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to provide such credits to their customers – up to 2.5 percent of… Read more »
The global market for solar thermal energy has skyrocketed, particularly in China. Despite the boom, what’s considered the most important of all solar technologies still has a long way to reach its true potential. Mention solar energy and most people are likely to think of sun-powered electrical systems. But there’s a much more important solar… Read more »
The Energy Department on Monday announced a “conditional” $1.4 billion loan guarantee for a solar thermal power complex in the Mojave Desert that would ultimately produce as much as 392 megawatts of electricity. The loan guarantee would be drawn from the resources given to the Energy Department under the economic stimulus bill adopted last year…. Read more »
The state of Pennsylvania has announced new grants totaling more than $5 million in 13 solar energy projects, which will add more than 4.25MW of photovoltaics installations in 11 counties. The projects have a total value of more than $23 million and will include rooftop, parking structure, and ground-mount systems, ranging in size from 20KW… Read more »
This country spends, in a typical year, $350 billion importing oil from Saudi Arabia and other foreign countries. Although this is no doubt good news for the Saudi royal family, one of the richest in the world, it is bad news for the average American. The vast majority of the American people understand now is… Read more »
Dorit Banet is not one to throw around hackneyed expressions (such as “making the desert bloom”) when describing her work. Tired clichés are apparently not part of her lexicon, but she does have an ambitious vision. Largely under the radar, Banet and her colleagues at the Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Administration in southern Israel are busy… Read more »
Dr. Schenk GmbH, leading supplier of inspection and measurement solutions for the thin-film solar module production, proudly announces its participation in a trend-setting research project supported by the European Commission. The “HIFLEX” project aims to jointly develop a technology for highly flexible Organic Photovoltaics (OPV) modules. Due to the use of commercially viable printing and coating techniques on roll-to-roll material, this new… Read more »
The Utility Solar Assessment Study estimates that solar energy will account for 10 percent of electricity use in the U.S. by 2025. But like any other consumer product, solar panels have a limited shelf life and disposing of old panels will eventually come into play. So what do you do when you need to get… Read more »
eSolar, a leading producer of modular, scalable concentrating solar thermal power technology, and Ferrostaal AG, one of the world’s largest power plant developers, announced today a partnership to deploy turnkey solar power plants in countries including Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa. Under the agreement, eSolar will provide solar field and receiver technology,… Read more »
The world’s largest producer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules has supplied almost 20 Lebanese schools with supplies to let them utilize solar energy through the sponsorship of the Country Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Demonstration Project for the Recovery of Lebanon. Suntech Power Holdings provided the solar panels for 19 remote schools in the country… Read more »
AltaTerra Research is pleased to announce the web conference, “Heating Up in 2010?: The Outlook for U.S. Commercial and Industrial Solar Water Heating Markets,” to be held Wednesday, March 24th at 11:00 am Pacific / 2:00 pm Eastern. Participants will hear from Sue Kateley, Executive Director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), Les… Read more »
Following last year’s purchase of several PV1200 photovoltaic metallization lines from DEK Solar in 2009, Zhejiang Hongchen has started the New Year extremely positively by purchasing more lines from the screen printing specialist. Selected as part of Hongchen’s drive to substantially increase cell production through 2010 and beyond, the DEK lines are renowned for their… Read more »
CEPS AS, the Czech electricity-grid operator, said the pace of solar-power investment risks overloading the network and driving up prices for consumers. Output from solar panels may overwhelm the grid by 2011 and plants may need to be temporarily disconnected to prevent blackouts, CEPS Chief Executive Officer Petr Zeman said today. Total solar capacity may… Read more »
SANYO is pleased to announce that it will showcase its HIT Solar Technology at the SOLAR HUB at this year’s Eco Build show, taking place in London between 2nd and 4th March, 2010. The SOLAR HUB is one of 4 feature points at this year’s Eco Build. These feature points are designed to educate visitors… Read more »
Linde Nippon Sanso (LNS), a company of The Linde Group, and Bosch Solar Energy, have announced an extension of their collaboration at Bosch’s new crystalline Si solar cell manufacturing site in Arnstadt, Germany. Under the new agreement, LNS will supply silane and ammonia gas, both critical materials in the fabrication of Bosch’s high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) cells. Bosch currently operates three… Read more »
French energy company Areva (best known for its nuclear power business) has purchased solar thermal power company Ausra – yet another example of a promising Australian technology company ending up with foreign ownership. One possible positive interpretation of the news is that Areva are losing faith in the oft-predicted but unrealised “nuclear renaissance” and now… Read more »
Although Grand Canyon hikers may believe that the Grand Canyon has been solar-powered for eons, the fact is the Grand Canyon National Park has “gone solar” just recently. Eighty-four photovoltaic solar panels are now operational on the Grand Canyon Visitor Center located at the Canyon View Information Plaza near the south rim. Located both on… Read more »
US solar panel maker SunPower Corporation (SunPower) yesterday agreed to acquire SunRay Renewable Energy (SunRay), a leading European solar power firm for approximately $277 million, aiming at expanding its activities in Europe and the Middle East. SunPower will acquire SunRay from its shareholders, which include its management and Denham Capital, a leading global private equity… Read more »
Akeena Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq:AKNS), a leading installer of solar power systems and designer of AC solar panels, today announced results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009. “2009 was a turning point for Akeena Solar as we diversified our revenue streams by launching the distribution sales of Andalay AC solar panels. Our… Read more »
DEK Solar is reflecting on an extremely positive Q4, having sold a record number of photovoltaic metallization lines in China. Most recently, the solar screen printing specialist completed a contract to supply a high-profile turnkey provider in the region with a large number of new metallization lines. DEK Solar’s current success in China is being… Read more »