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Category: Asia

TÜV Rheinland opens solar test centre in India

August 13th, 2010 | Posted in Solar | No Comments

TÜV Rheinland has opened its seventh laboratory worldwide in Electronics City in the Indian city of Bangalore for testing solar modules and systems. The company has invested 2 million EUR in the new solar test centre, which in particular will offer services to India's growing solar industry.

The test centre has 2,000 square metres of space, including an outside test field of 500 square metres, with equipment such as five climate chambers and two sun simulators. This makes it the most up to date and largest laboratory in the entire South Asian economic area.

India is already planning to install 20,000 MW of PV power by 2020, with 100,000 MW by 2030. TÜV Rheinland will therefore strengthen its service offering in India for solar power stations, encompassing planning, consulting, operation and maintenance. In addition, services will be provided for ensuring the quality and safety of modules and components, as well as monitoring production quality. When testing and certifying according to IEC and other international standards, the experts in the laboratory can make use of the latest test facilities.

[source: TÜV Rheinland]

Sanko inaugurates Cevizlik hydropower plant in Turkey

August 13th, 2010 | Posted in Hydro | No Comments

Sanko officially inaugurated the Cevizlik hydropower plant in Turkey, with 100 MW of installed power generating capacity. The power plant uses two Fransic hydroturbines to power the electrical generators. The turbines and generators were supplied and installed by Alstom.

Oerlikon Solar supplies thin film equipment to Astronergy

August 9th, 2010 | Posted in Solar | No Comments

In a follow-up purchase agreement, announced by Oerlikon Solar (Switzerland) and Astronergy (China), Oerlikon is to supply Astronergy with thin film manufacturing equipment. Astronergy is increasing its production capacity from 30 MW to 75 MW in 2011. This is just one phase on the company's path to acheiving 400 MW of annual production capacity in the near future.

Astronergy is the first manufacturer of tandem-junction Amorphous and Micromorph thin film modules in China, a technology developed by Oerlikon Solar. The expanded capacity will incorporate latest thin film technology and materials, as well as innovations into the thin film production process.

[source: Oerlikon]

United Steelworkers in landmark agreements with power companies from China

August 9th, 2010 | Posted in Wind | No Comments

United Steelworkers (USW) announced the signing of landmark agreements with power companies from China – A-Power Energy Generation Systems and Shenyang Power Group (SPG). The newly formed agreements represent a great opportunity for USW, which will be guiding and working in collaboration with the Chinese companies on all of their US market strategies including manufacturing, assembly, component sourcing, distribution and wind energy development.

A-Power and SPG are planning to purchase about 50,000 tons of steel over time, to be manufactured in unionized US steel mills. This steel will be used to supply the companies' 615 MW wind farm project in Texas with wind turbine towers.

[source: United Steelworkers]

Kyocera starts commercial operation at new solar cell plant – plans to increase production to 1 GW annually

August 7th, 2010 | Posted in Solar | No Comments

Kyocera announced the start of commercial manufacturing operations at the company new solar cell manufacturing plant in Yasu City in Japan. The facility was completed in March this year, and had begun initial test production, but has now officially been put into commercial "mode", and will produce 16.9% conversion efficency solar cells.

Yingli Green Energy starts commercial operation at polysilicon manufacturing facility

August 7th, 2010 | Posted in Solar | No Comments

Yingli Solar, part of Yingli Green Energy, announced the successful start of commercial operation at the company's own polysilicon manufacturing facility – Fine Silicon Company. The plant is designed to be able to output about 3000 metric tons of high quality solar grade and electronics grade polysilicon annually. The manufacturing process is touted by the company to be energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

The new plant uses monosilicon-based technology and a closed loop manufacturing process – this allows significant electricity savings and low impact on the environment compared to trichlorosilane based polysilicon manufacturing processes used in the industry.

[source: Yingli Green Energy]

Suntech Power supplying 34.5 MW of solar panels for power plant in Thailand

August 5th, 2010 | Posted in Solar | No Comments

Suntech Power is to supply 34.5 MW of crystalline solar power panels for a solar project in Thailand. The planned project is to have a total of 44 MW of installed capacity, and will be the largest such project in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Suntech is supplying panels for the first phase of the project, owned and operated by Bangchak Petroleum Public Company, and integrated by Solartron Public Company.

Sinohydro and Energia Argentina to cooperate in energy

August 5th, 2010 | Posted in General | No Comments

Sinohydro announced a signing of an MoU between Sinohydro and Energia Argentina, which happened in mid-July in China, for cooperation in energy. Emphasis was put on clean energy technologies such as hydropower and wind energy. A work group is being planned, which will carry out related works and practices.

This MoU is significant as it marks the beginning of Sinohydro's involvement in energy development projects in Argentina, representing a base for future expansion of the company's presence in the South American country.

[source: Sinohydro]

Chint Group investing in 1 GW of solar projects and 200 MW of manufacturing capacity in China

August 4th, 2010 | Posted in Solar | No Comments

Astroenergy Solar's parent company, the Chint Group, announced plans to invest in 1 GW of solar energy projects and about 200 MW of manufacturing capacity annually in the Gansu Province, China. The company signed a strategic agreement with the Gansu Development and Reform Commission. This agreement marks the beginning of the province's push towards developing its own solar industry.

The government of Gansu Province has agreed to provide assistance for the emerging industry in areas such as construction, obtaining approvals and applications for feed-in tariffs – all of which will be beneficial to further growth of the solar industry in this part of China.

[source: Astroenergy Solar]

GE supplying wind turbines for wind farm in Thailand

August 4th, 2010 | Posted in Wind | No Comments

GE will be supplying 90 MW of wind turbines for a wind energy project being developed in Thailand by German developer Pro Ventum. The wind farm will be located about 250 km northeast of Bangkok.

The Thep Sathit wind farm will feature 36 2.5 MW GE wind turbines, marking this project as the first ever in Thailand to use GE's 2.5 MW units. GE is additionally looking into a possible equity investment in the project.

Thep Sathit wind farm is the first project in Thailand for both companies.

[source: GE]