United States
GameChange Racking Wins 500kW Contract
15 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
GameChange Racking today announced it has won a 500kW contract to provide its GC Roof System for a solar installation in Cumberland, Rhode Island (US).
Panasonic, Coronal Management Sign Solar PV Agreement
15 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
Panasonic Eco Solutions North America has signed an exclusive multi-year solar photovoltaic development agreement with alternative energy company Coronal Management. The two companies aim to develop, build and operate a portfolio of solar PV systems in the US and Puerto Rico.
Solon Completes 459 kW Solar Project for Water Treatment Facility
13 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Solon Corporation today announced it has completed construction of a 459kW PV system at the Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Facility for the Town of Gila Bend, Arizona (US).
SolarWorld Introduces All-American Solar Financing
13 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
SolarWorld has launched the SolarWorld Freedom Plan, which is says is the solar industry’s first financing program dedicated exclusively to American-made solar products.
‘Battery University’ Opens in California
13 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
CalCharge, an energy storage innovation accelerator, and San Jose State University (SJSU) are teaming up to launch a “battery university” in California’s Silicon Valley.
Battery university courses, to be offered through SJSU’s professional education program, will educate a specialty workforce needed now for the rapidly growing battery industry.
SEIA Responds to US President's State of the Union Address
13 February 2013POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
Last night, President Obama delivered the first State of the Union address in his second term in office. The message that renewable energy is high on the President's agenda was clear.
REC Solar Slashes California Farms’ Energy Costs
12 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
REC Solar today announced the completion of solar energy systems for two California farms totaling 1MW of electricity.
Cadmium-Free Tetrapod Quantum Dots for PV
12 February 2013POSTED IN Research
Quantum Materials Corporation (QMC) announces a new class of cadmium-free, non rare earth elements (REE), non-heavy metal tetrapod quantum dots (NHM-TPQD) developed to meet worldwide concerns regarding nanoparticle biocompatibility and sustainability.
Sol Systems Looks to Buy 50kW-2MW Solar Projects
12 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
Sol Systems today announced it’s actively seeking US solar projects 50kW-2MW in size for immediate acquisition. The company’s investors are looking to close deals by the end of March.
100% Solar Powered Warehouse
12 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Independence Solar, together with its installation partner, Pat Munger Construction Company, completed a rooftop solar energy system at the Connecticut (US) distribution center for The Safety Zone, a leading manufacturer and distributor of safety products and equipment operating 1 million square feet of distribution centre located in six states in the US and in Asia.
Operational Energy Data on Solar Financing
21 January 2013POSTED IN Business Features
With utility scale solar installations growing at a record pace, the number of acquisitions of operational solar plants is also increasing. In fact, more project acquisitions of solar projects took place in the first three quarters of 2012 than the total number of project acquisitions in any previous year. Financing of operational projects versus preconstruction projects has some discernible benefits for the investor and risk is mitigated as the track record of the plant becomes established and can be used to predict future performance. For the investor or lender to quantitatively assess the potential reduction in risk, the expected annual energy production of the plant should be reevaluated.
If Darwin Had Designed a Solar Cell…
11 February 2013POSTED IN Research
Using a mathematical search algorithm based on natural evolution, researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (US) have designed a geometrically patterned light-scattering layer that could make organic solar cells more efficient and less expensive by maximizing the time light is trapped in the device.
PVAmEast 2013: groSolar projects win awards
08 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
This week during PV America East in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (US), SEIA and SEPA announced its awards, with three going to groSolar projects. The three projects, Longwood Gardens, Keystone Solar, and Camden Solar Center, were completed in 2012 and provide approximately 10MW of solar capacity.
Supercapacitor Invention Deal Inked
08 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Florida State University (FSU) and Tallahassee, Florida-based General Capacitor have signed an agreement to develop a new supercapacitor technology that the two organizations say will play a “major role” in future energy usage and storage needs.
Panasonic Enters Alliance With Power-One
08 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
Panasonic Corporation today announced that it has entered into a strategic alliance agreement with Power-One.
The agreement aims for the global promotion of energy management businesses, such as stationary power storage systems. In the agreement, the two companies have agreed to jointly develop the business of nonresidential and industrial large-scale power inverters in Japan. Panasonic will expand the nonresidential and industrial energy management systems business.
2012 Taiwan Total Cell Shipments Exceed 5.5GW
07 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
Taiwan’s PV industry showed growth in 2012 as shipments from cell makers reached record highs, according to to EnergyTrend, a research division of global market research firm TrendForce.
This comes despite the financial strains experienced by various countries’ solar markets and the persistence of trade disputes.
Deger Trackers: High performance, lower prices
07 February 2013POSTED IN New Products
Deger has announced its next-generation tracking systems include technical enhancements and cost more than 20 percent less compared to last year’s product. The new systems will be available in Europe in March, and in North America by the middle of 2013.
IPC Achieves Certification for Grid Storage Battery Converter
06 February 2013POSTED IN Business News
Ideal Power Converters (IPC), a developer of disruptive electronic power converters, announced today that its 30kW Battery Converter has been certified for UL1741 conformance.
The certification for UL1741 ensures safety and grid compatibility for distributed generation technology that supplies power to the electric grid in North America.
Draker Clarity DC Selected for 2MW Solar PV Plant
06 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Draker has been selected to install its fully integrated Draker AC and Clarity DC panel-to-grid (P2G) monitoring solution at a 2MW AC site, the largest installation to date for a fully integrated Draker AC and Clarity DC monitoring system.
The solar PV plant in Massachusetts (US) is a fixed mount, 600V system with utility grid interconnection.
PVAmEast 2013: PV project winners announced
06 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) have announced the three winners of the 2013 Photovoltaic Projects of Distinction Awards at PV America East 2013. The Generating Clean Horizons Solar Project, Keystone Solar and the Union County, New Jersey Solar Initiative won the awards.
For the first time, nine projects were awarded honorable mentions in recognition of their impressive accomplishments.
