The California Energy Commission (CEC) has given its approval for BrightSource's Ivanpah solar energy project in California. As announced earlier, Ivanapah recently got a recommendation for approval from CEC. The process is not over yet though, as the project still needs to be approved by the federal Bureau of Land Management, before it can enter its construction phase.
LS Power Group has selected SunPower for the design, construction and development of the 10 MW Dover SUN Park, in Delaware, USA. SunPower has received this contract through LS Power's subsidiary White Oak Solar Energy. The solar park is to be completed by next summer. All generated power will be exported to the regional power utility, operated by the city of Dover.
Sharp Corporation is going to acquire Recurrent Energy, the solar power developer from USA. Under the definitive agreement between the two companies, the acquisition will be closed by the end of 2010. Sharp Corporation will obtain all the company's assets for a cash payment of USD 305 million.
South Korea is joining the "huge offshore wind farm" club of nations, with a plan to develop about 5 GW of offshore wind capacity. There are still no specifics about the actual parameters of the new offshore wind farm, except that it will be located about 30 km off the coast of South and North Jeolla provinces, in the soutwestern part of the country. According to the country's officials, the wind farm complex will have about 5 GW of installed capacity by 2019.
Vestas announced the first orders from European customers for its latest V112-3.0 MW wind turbine. The two orders, totalling in 24 units, came from ENERTRAG and PROKON, both German companies and renewable energy developer.
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.
GE has introduced the lates addition to its wind turbine portfolio – the 2.75 MW units, based upon the 2.5 MW wind turbines. The new 2.75-100 and 2.75-103 models are basically an improvement on the 2.5 model, bringing maximum energy production, with the goal to increase annual energy production (AEP) over the 2.5 older brother.
Solargiga Energy Holdings and Liaoning Oxirachem, both Chinese companies, have entered into a joint venture agreement for manufacturing multicrystalline silicon ingots and wafers with 500 MW of annual production capacity.
GDF Suez and Solar Power Group will jointly develop a 5 MW concentrated solar power (CSP) project in Chile, using Solar Power's Fresnel technology. The steam produced at the plant will be used to supply the Mejillones coal-fired plant (having 150 MW of power capacity), located in the north of Chile. Pending permits, the project could be in operation in 2012.
GE is to supply three advanced 2.5 MW units to Germania Windpark, a German wind energy developer, for its wind farm near Magdeburg, Germany. The company is expanding installed capacity, adding the three new units to the already installed eight 1.5 MW GE wind turbines at the wind farm.
Germania Windpark and GE have also signed a full-service agreement, under which GE is to provide service and maintenance for the new units.
[source: GE]
