Suntech Power and Azure Power are in an agreement to develop several megawatts of solar power capacity in India, using Suntech's 280 W crystalline silicon solar panels. The projects are to be utility-scale and scattered across several states in India.
Future solar power plants will be owned, developed and financed by Azure Power. The first of many such projects will be completed in early 2011.
[source: Suntech Power]
Vestas announced a supply agreement with China Longyan Power Group, under which the company is to deliver 18 V80-2.0 MW units to the Chinese wind developer.
China Longyan Power raised USD 2.2 billion in funding during its IPO in Hong Kong last year. The company is planning an aggressive approach to wind energy development in the coming years.
Under the contract, Vestas is to supply 36 MW of units, install them and commission them. Additionally, the company is to provide VestasOnline Business SCADA and a provide service and maintenance. The first units are to delivered in Q3 2010.
[source: Vestas]
MBM Holdings announced the formation of MBM Solar Holding, which is to build a 2500 megaton/year solar-grade polysilicon production plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The plant is expected to start production in 2012. The plant will be developed jointly with ERC Private Limited Singapore, and will represent a USD 400 million investment. The plant will complement solar energy development planned in the country, such as the large solar power project in Dubai, planned by Masdar.
The new, state-of-the-art polysilicon production plant will be able to produce material for solar cell manufacture at a competitive level with Chinese and other Middle East plants being planned. MBM Holdings is hoping to provide great support with the new plant for the downstream private solar development sector in the country. Further plans include gradual increase in annual production capacity in the coming years.
[source: MBM Holdings]
A-Power Energy Generation Systems announced the renewal of license for manufacturing 2.5 MW wind turbines using Fuhrlander's F2500 technology. The company will this way retain the right to manufacture, sell and service these turbines in the global wind energy market.
A-Power plans to improve its position in the multi-megawatt wind turbine market, as the industry is increasingly turning towards bigger wind turbines for future projects.
[source: A-Power, image: Fuhrlander]
US based Timken Company, an equipment and parts manufacturer for the wind energy industry, has entered into a USD 26 million supply deal with Chinese Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Company. Under the terms of the contract, Timken is to supply wind turbine products and services to Goldwind.
Some of the products Timken will be supplying include advanced bearings with the new Timken UltraWind tapered design, monitoring systems. Additionally, the company will also provide Goldwind with services for Goldwind's 1.5 and 2.5 MW platforms. Further collaboration on future wind turbine developments has also been mentioned.
The two companies have also agreed to pursue further development efforts, for example of Timken's advanced engineering design to reduce cycle times for new platforms.
[source: The Timken Company]
Chinese State Grid Energy Research Institute (SGERI) and wind turbine manufacturer Vestas are involved in a joint study called Joint Study on Coordinated Development of Wind Power and the Electricity Grid, representing an initiative to enhance large scale wind energy project integration into the the power grid. Additionally, the study is also looking into solutions for mass integration of renewable energy in general into the power grid.
SGERI and Vestas have announced the completion of the first part of the joint study, being carried out by the company with its international experience and local Chinese experts. The goal is to provide a holistic solution for the growing problem of absorbing all the renewable energy capacity needed into the national power grid to answer the growing energy demand in China. As far as wind energy is concerned, China is one of the fastest growing markets in the world, with 13 GW of newly installed capacity in 2009 alone. It is expected that the total installed capacity in the country will reach a staggering 120 GW by 2020. It is, therefore, quite clear that the country needs an appropriately large and capable power grid in order to be able to distribute all this power to the consumers. This task is by no means trivial, and involves major development efforts, the scale of which has been outlined in China's new ten year energy development strategy.
Scientists from South Korea, Belgium and the United States are working on a new breakthrough solar energy harvesting technology, that could change the game in the solar energy industry. Research is focused on producing technology for a new class of solar energy converters, with greater efficiency and cost savings. According to Scitech Solar, one of the companies involved in the research, the new technology will be scalable, sustainable, adaptable and eco-friendly. So, here's the scientific info…
PetroAlgae, owner of the micro-crop technology, has entered into a non-binding commercial offtake agreement with Eco-Frontier, a South Korean renewable energy developer, under which PetroAlgae is to license its micro-crop technology, designed to enable the licensee companies to produce cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels.
Chinese National Energy Administration (NEA) has announced recently the new ten-year energy investment strategy plan, which involves investments totalling about 5 trillion Yuan (about USD 737 billion). The new plan, covering the period between 2011-2020, puts forward some major policy measures for further development of various energy sources, including nuclear, wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, unconventional natural gas and other new energy technologies. Apart from clean energy, the new strategy also involves further development of clean coal technologies. Additionally, the country is planning to adopt smart grid technology on a large scale, as well as distributed energy generation and electric vehicle technologies.
Currently, China relies heavily on coal burning power plants for producing electricity, although it is also one of the largest hydropower producers in the world. The country's growing demand for energy, caused by the fast growing economy, dictates an increase in power generation, but also demands the introduction of clean energy technologies in order to reduce the high levels of pollution.
A-Power Energy Generation Systems and Baoding Huide Wind Power Engineering have formed a strategic partnership, under which the two companies will collaborate in various areas of business, including marketing initiatives, presence development in the US, research and development, joint ventures, resource sharing and pursuing new business opportunities.
Baoding Huide is mainly focused on the development, manufacturing and sales of multi-MW wind turbines, as well as design parts for the wind energy industry. The company's manufacturing facilities are capable of outputting up to 1000 MW annually. A-Power is also a major player in the wind energy industry, and is one of the largest wind turbine manufacturers in China.
[source: A-Power]
