UK
Ecobuild 2012: Monier Redland Exhibits Solar PV Tiles and On Top PV System
08 March 2012POSTED IN New Products
Monier Redland (UK), a brand of the Monier Group, is exhibiting its range of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at Ecobuild 2012 on 20-22 March 2012 at ExCeL (booth N3450) in London, UK, demonstrating the company's commitment to the renewable energy sector.
Kyocera Solar Powers England's First Zero-Carbon Church
08 March 2012POSTED IN Applications News
Kyocera Corporation today announced that the company has supplied its solar modules for a flagship project for renovating old buildings using solar energy at the roughly 900-year-old St. Michael and All Angels Church in Withington, England. The country's first zero-carbon church has a solar power generating system using Kyocera modules, which supplies CO2-neutral electricity, as well as a biomass-powered boiler system providing environmentally friendly heat.
Element Power Solar Finalizes UK Solar Parks Sale
05 March 2012POSTED IN Business News
Element Power Solar today announced that it has completed the sale of two UK solar parks with a combined capacity of 6MW to funds managed by alternative asset manager Foresight Group.
PV Balance-of-System Market to Reach $24 Billion in 2016
23 February 2012POSTED IN Business News
Photovoltaic (PV) balance-of-system (BOS) equipment revenues are projected to increase from $17 billion (USD) in 2011 to close to $24 billion in 2016, according to a new market report from IMS Research.
36% of Germany's Electricity to Come from Renewables by 2020
22 February 2012POSTED IN Business News
The energy market in Germany will see dramatic changes during the next few years. This growth will require substantial investments in upgrading the existing power transmission infrastructure.
Chinese Tier-2 PV Module Prices Fall Below $1/W in January 2012
16 February 2012POSTED IN Business News
The average price of Chinese Tier-2 crystalline photovoltaic (PV) modules fell to $0.96 (USD) per watt (W) in January 2012, according to the latest "PV Module Price Tracker–Monthly–World" from IMS Research.
Novel Hybrid Solar Cells Absorb Blue and Red Light from Sun’s Spectrum
16 February 2012POSTED IN Research
Scientists at the University of Cambridge (UK) have developed a new kind of hybrid solar cell that could dramatically improve the physical efficiency limit of solar panels. The research breakthrough lies in their single cell’s ability to absorb most of the high-energy blue light while also absorbing red light from the sun’s spectrum.
Seaward Solar Introduces MCS Test Kit for Solar Installers
13 February 2012POSTED IN New Products
Seaward
Solar has expanded its range of specialist test equipment for solar photovoltaic (PV) installation work with a new kit that provides the complete solution to Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) electrical testing needs.
EU Project Aims to Increase Solar Use
10 February 2012POSTED IN Business News
The partners in ENIAC (European Nanoelectronics Initiative Council), a publicly funded EU project to improve the solar-energy supply chain, today announced details of the multinational/multidisciplinary program, Energy for a Green Society (ERG). This three-year ENIAC Joint Undertaking project aims to achieve substantial advances in the solar-energy supply chain, from sustainable harvesting to smart distribution. These advances include pushing solar-cell efficiency towards 25% and reducing power conversion losses by 20%.
Taiwan Reduces Solar Feed-in Tariff
09 February 2012POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
Taiwan has announced its new Feed-in Tariff (FiT) structure.
PV Inverter Market Achieves Record Shipments in 2011
08 February 2012POSTED IN Business News
The PV inverter market achieved a new record in 2011 with shipments exceeding 26 gigawatts (GW) for the first time according to preliminary results from IMS Research.
Building Integrated PV: A developing market
02 February 2012POSTED IN Guest Blogs
Construction contractors and architectural design professionals should be positioning themselves now to take advantage of thin-film PV technology with the construction technique known as Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV). The BIPV approach essentially replaces standard construction components with materials that incorporate a thin film of silicon to create a PV panel. Roofing materials are ideal components for BIPV substitution. Most building façades are good candidates for replacement, and window glass can now be fashioned with entirely transparent thin-film solar cells.
UK Energy Secretary Huhne Resigns
03 February 2012POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
UK Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has resigned after learning that he is to face charges that he perverted the course of justice back in 2003. When charged with speeding he informed the authorities that his former wife was driving the car.
Solarcentury Resigns from BPVA
31 January 2012POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
Solarcentury, one of the two solar firms that in December 2011 filed a legal challenge against the UK government’s decision to cut feed-in tariff schemes for solar installations, has resigned from the British Photovoltaic Association (BPVA). The move follows the BPVA Chairman's application to intervene on the side of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in the UK Court of Appeal.
UK FiT Fallout Continues
26 January 2012POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
The UK Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change Greg Barker today faces calls for his resignation following the Court of Appeal’s ruling that the government’s planned cuts to the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) were legally flawed.
UK Government Loses Appeal on FiT Cuts
25 January 2012POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
The UK Court of Appeal ruling on the government's cuts to the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) was rendered this morning.
UK Contingency FiT in Place While Appeal Presses Forward
23 January 2012POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
DECC has today laid before Parliament draft licence modifications which, subject to the Parliamentary process set out in the Energy Act 2008, makes provision for a reduced tariff rate (from 1 April 2012 onwards) for new solar PV installations with an eligibility date on or after 3 March 2012 under the Feed-in-Tariffs scheme (FITs).
Update: DECC Confirms Future UK FiT Rates
19 January 2012POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
The UK's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has published a ministerial statement confirming the new feed-in tariff (FiT) rates for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations completed between 12 December 2011 and 1 April 2012.
DEK: A Chinese local with UK origins
19 January 2012POSTED IN Newsletter Features
It’s no secret that the solar industry is booming in China, with many new startups scrambling for a piece of the action. The country has also become attractive to stalwarts of the industry. DEK, however, has a long history in China. “DEK first started doing business in China in the early 1980’s”, remembers John Knowles, DEK’s Chairman who, until recently, headed the Alternative Energy Business Unit. “Following the electronics downturn in 2001, many of our key volume customers in the electronics assembly market started to move to Asia, and principally China.”
Solar Novus Today Names Publisher
17 January 2012POSTED IN Business News
Novus Media Today, LLC., an international media company, announced today the appointment of Penny Pretty as Group Publisher.
