BP Solar Australia and Verve Energy are in an agreement to jointly build a 10 MW PV plant in Geraldton, Western Australia. The project is called Greenough River Solar Farm, and represents a AUD 58 million (EUR 42 million) investment. Construction could begin as early as March 2011, with completion planned for later during the year.
CNPV Solar Power and MPower (Australia) have entered into a strategic partnership under which CNPV is to supply MPower with 30 MWp of solar modules over a period of two years (2010-2012). The first supply batch is for 5 MWp and will be delivered this year, while the remaining 25 MWp will be divided into two larger shipments, 10 MWp in 2011, and 15 MWp in 2012. MPower will from now on be offering CNPV's modules to all of the company's customers.
[source: CNPV]
Vestas started selling its V112-3.0 MW wind turbine for both onshore and offshore applications, and alsmost immediately bagged an order for 140 units (420 MW) from AGL Energy Limited and Meridian, for a wind farm project in Australia.
The Macarthur wind farm will have 420 MW of installed capacity, and is to be located Victoria, Australia. Vestas is to supply the turbines, installed them and commission them, as well as provide service and maintenance for ten years. As usual, the company is to deliver its VestasOnline Business SCADA solution. The first units are to start arriving at the wind farm site in Q3 2011, while the whole project is to be completed in H1 2013.
[source: Vestas]
First Wind announced the beginning of construction activities at the Kahuku wind farm, on Oahu island, Hawaii. The groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of the final phase of the 30 MW wind farm, the only utility-scale wind energy project on the island, and soon to be one of the largest such facilities in Hawaii. Once completed, the Kahuku wind farm will generate clean electricity for about 7700 average local homes. A total of 12 Clipper Liberty 2.5 MW wind turbines will be installed.
The project was pushed with a USD 117 millio loan from the US Department of Energy. Some 200 construction jobs will be created as a result of the project.
Hawaii has set a very ambitious renewable energy goal – 70% renewable energy by 2030.
[source: First Wind]
The Victoria-Suntech Advanced Solar Facility (VSASF) was officially launched today in Melbourne, with the Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change, and Innovation, Gavin Jennings MLC, on hand to commemorate the event. The facility, which is a collaborative venture between Swinburne University of Technology and Suntech Power Holdings, has been partially funded by a AU$3 million grant under the Victorian Science Agenda Investment Fund. The collaboration will provide a platform for the partners to commercialise NANOPLAS, a "revolutionary nanoplasmonic solar cell technology being developed at Swinburne."
Heading up the VSASF will be Professor Min Gu, Director of the Swinburne Centre for Micro-Photonics, and Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's Chairman and CEO as well as a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. According to Professor Gu the group's strong mix of research and business expertise will put them in a unique position to research, develop and commercialise the innovative solar cell technology.
Professor Gu went on to add that a major advantage of the VSASF is that it will allow Swinburne researchers to work closely with Suntech throughout the research and development stages. This will ensure that the NANOPLAS technology can be easily transferred to the production line and complement Suntech's industry-leading Pluto(TM) solar cell technology.
Cooperation between Suntech and Swinburne began in April 2009 when the two parties announced their partnership for the development of nanoplasmonic solar technology
[source: Suntech]
Suntech, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Silex Solar will together research advanced technology to further improve the power conversion efficiencies of crystalline silicon solar cells. The three-year collaborative research project received an AU$5 million grant from the Australian Solar Institute (ASI), and that's apparently the largest award given to any of the 87 grant applicants in the ASI's first competitive funding call.
In addition to the ASI grant, both Silex Solar and Suntech will contribute more than AU$6 million in direct funding and in-kind research resources over the next three years to support the operations.
As for the research project itself, it will focus on the development of advanced solar cell device designs and high volume cell manufacturing processes to achieve significant performance improvements and cost reduction breakthroughs. The research is expected to complement Suntech's development of high-efficiency Pluto technology.
[source: Suntech]
Computer rendered visualization of the Ngatamariki Geothermal Power Station.
Mighty River Power, a New Zealand based geothermal energy developer, has been granted resource consents, along with its partner company Tauhara No. 2 Trust, to construct and operate the Ngatamariki Geothermal Power Station. The proposed 110 MW power plant, to be located near Taupo, is planned for completion just ahead of winter in 2013. It represents a USD 400 million investment, and will be developed by the Rotokawa Joint Venture (formed between Mighty River and Tauhara No.2 Trust).
The Ngatamariki Geothermal project will be the third geothermal energy project for Mighty River Power and the second for Tauhara No.2 Trust, and will contribute to an overall total of 500 MW of geothermal capacity operated by Mighty River once completed.
At the moment, 14% of New Zealand's electricity comes from geothermal energy sources.
[source: Mighty River Power]
The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has given approval for a power purchase agreement between Kahuku Wind Power and Hawaiian Electric Company under which all power generated at the 30 MW Kahuku wind farm is to exported to the utility for 20 years. The wind farm is yet to be built on the North Shore at the Oahu island. Kahuku Wind Power is a subsidiary of Massachusetts based First Wind.
The Kahuku wind farm will be located west of Kahuku town, on the hills, and will feature 12 Clipper Liberty 2.5 MW units. Kahuku Wind Power will also include a battery power storage facility in order to maintain energy supply standards and smooth out any power generating fluctuations. Construction will start later this year. Once completed, the Kahuku wind farm will be the only wind farm on Oahu, as well as the largest wind energy project in Hawaii. It is expected the project will be able to supply some 7700 average households in Oahu with clean electricity.
[source: First Wind - Kahuku]
Vestas is to supply 111 V90-1.8 and V90-2.0 wind turbines to Australia for the Collgar project, located about 25 km southeast of Merredin (Western Australia). The wind farm, being developed by Collgar Wind Farm Pty Ltd, is going to have 206 MW of installed capacity. This supply deal represents the largest single order Vestas has ever received for the Australian market.
Along with the turbines, Vestas is to provide full engineering and procurement, as well as ten years of service and maintenance. Additionally, it will also provide VestasOnline Business SCADA as part of the agreement. The first units are expected to arrive in Q2 and Q3 of 2010. The whole wind farm is expected to become operational with full capacity sometime in the second half of 2012.
[source: Vestas]
The US Department of Energy is conditionally loaning USD 117 million to an "innovative" wind energy project on Hawaii. The island state is going to get a wind farm with 30 MW of capacity, using 2.5 MW wind turbines, but with an additional component which will ensure electricity load stability – batteries for storing produced energy. The Kahuku wind farm, to be developed by Kahuku Wind Power, will be receiving the 117 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Once completed, the Kahuku wind farm will output electricity estimated to be enough to supply about 7700 average homes on the island state with clean electricity. The construction of the wind farm will provide about 200 jobs.
The Kahuku wind farm will be located on the island of Oahu. Hawaii has set a very high goal for renewable energy, which is to achieve 70% of electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2030. At the moment, each of the islands is using its own separate power grid, mostly using fossil fuels to produce electricity. The company sponsoring the project is First Wind Holdings.
[source: US DoE, image: Hawaii State]
