Category: Solar


SunPower and K6 to build two 1 MW solar PV plants in Casamassima and Conversano, Italy

March 10th, 2010 | Posted in Solar

SunPower and K6 have signed an agreement to build two 1 MW PV solar power plants in Casamassima and Conversano, Puglia region, Italy.

The plants will be completed by August 2010, when the producing electricity will be provided locally, and contribute to Italy's national electric grid.

SunPower will install SunPower panels along with its SunPower T20 Tracker technology, which follows the sun during the day and delivers up to 30% more energy than fixed-tilt systems. Moreover, the SunPower TMAC Advanced Tracker Controller will be used for real-time, remote monitoring and control…

[source: SunPower]


First Solar signs contract with PG&E for 300 MW PV solar power project

March 10th, 2010 | Posted in Solar

First Solar announced a power purchase agreement to supply Pacific Gas and Electric Company with electricity from a 300 MW (AC) utility-scale PV solar power facility that First Solar is developing in Southern California.

The Desert Sunlight project, to be located near Desert Center in eastern Riverside County, will have a total capacity of 550 MW, which is enough to power approximately 160,000 area homes – or about 480,000 residents. The other 250 MW portion of the project is already under contract to Southern California Edison. First Solar's power purchase agreements with PG&E and SCE are subject to the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission.

The construction is expected to start by the end of 2010 and completion as early as 2013. When completed, the project will displace 300,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road. It will also create approximately 430 construction jobs…

[source: First Solar]

Bergamo Acquisition announces $500 million solar project for Lebanon

March 9th, 2010 | Posted in Solar

Bergamo Acquisition announced a new solar power project for the Republic of Lebanon. The company's key management will travel to the country to conclude the Letter of Intent ("LOI") with the Government of Lebanon.

The total cost for the project will be $500 million, with Lebanese government providing 100% of the total finance package. Bergamo E & A on its end will be responsible for the technical know-how and will provide a turn-key operation for the government under the terms of the LOI and the letter of credit to be issued by the Lebanese government to support Bergamo activities and its involvement in the project.

The Letter of Credit will be issued to Bergamo E & A, the wholly owned subsidiary of Bergamo Acquisition Corp.

[source: Bergamo Acquisition]

Yingli Green Energy announces 300 MW PANDA mono-crystalline manufacturing capacity expansion

March 9th, 2010 | Posted in Solar

Yingli Green Energy announced a 300 MW PANDA mono-crystalline silicon-based manufacturing capacity expansion project at its Baoding headquarters. The company will finance the project from a loan of RMB 1.5 billion and a working capital credit facility of RMB 250 million, both granted by the Bank of Communications, Hebei Branch (BOCOM).

The new production lines will be designed to produce next-generation high efficiency PV cells based on the technology developed through Project PANDA – which is a collaboration among Yingli Green Energy, the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands and Amtech Systems.

Commenting on the announcement, Yingli Green Energy's Chairman and CEO, Liansheng Miao, said: "We believe this expansion will allow us to meet the increasing demand for our bankable, cost-effective products and further drive down costs through increased cell conversion efficiency and the larger scale of manufacturing. On the Project PANDA pilot line, we have already successfully produced next-generation cells with an average efficiency rate of 18% or higher. Looking ahead, we expect to increase the average efficiency rate to at least 18.5% on the commercial production lines by the end of this year. Combined with the existing 600 MW production capacity in Baoding and the 100 MW capacity under construction in Hainan Province, this new expansion project is expected to bring our total production capacity to 1 GW by the end of 2010. With this expansion in place, we will be better positioned than ever to solidify our leadership in the global PV market."

[source: Yingli Green Energy]

Kyocera completes construction of new solar cell manufacturing plant in Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture

March 4th, 2010 | Posted in Solar

Kyocera’s new solar cell manufacturing plant in Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

Kyocera has recently completed construction of a new solar cell manufacturing plant, further increasing capacity on its way to reach annual production target of 1 GW by March 2013. The new facility is located in Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture, representing the largest Kyocera Group manufacturing plant in Japan.

The new plant is also the company's second solar cell manufacturing plant along with the existing Shiga Yohkaichi Plant. When compared to the existing one, the new plant employs an enhanced manufacturing line, which increases productivity by 20%.

The main product to be manufactured at the Yasu Plant is the company's newly enhanced cell with an average energy conversion efficiency of 16.9%. These cells are used in Kyocera's 215-watt solar module, which is sold around the world.

And if you didn't know, Kyocera was the first company in the world to start mass production of multicrystalline silicon solar cells in 1982.

[source: Kyocera]

Toshiba signs to order 32 MW of solar panels from SunPower this year

March 1st, 2010 | Posted in Solar

Toshiba will order 32 MW of high-efficiency solar panels from SunPower in 2010. The panels ordered will form the cornerstone of Toshiba's new residential solar offering in Japan, to be launched on April 1st.

Commenting on the announcement, Toshiba's Shoji Takenaka said: "Toshiba's residential solar power business will offer homeowners the most efficient solar power systems available, with a focus on quality and reliability. We are very pleased to work with SunPower, as their solar photovoltaic panels achieve high levels of performance and reliability, and their excellent efficiency supports space-saving solutions that directly meet the needs of consumers in Japan."

[source: SunPower]

SolarWorld acquires 29% of Qatar Solar Technologies to establish the first silicon production on the Arabian Peninsula

March 1st, 2010 | Posted in Solar

Rashid Al Naimi, Vice President (Administration) of Qatar Foundation for Education Science and Community Development, Vorstandsvorsitzender der SolarWorld AG Frank H. Asbeck

SolarWorld announced that it has acquired a 29% stake in the newly founded Joint Venture Qatar Solar Technologies (QST) headquartered in the Emirate of Qatar. The Joint Venture will establish the first production facility for poly-silicon on the Arabian Peninsula. Partners are the Qatar Foundation (70%) and the Qatar Development Bank (1%).

QST will invest a total of more than $500 million in the construction of the new production facility with a planned annual capacity of around 3,600 tons of high-purity polysilicon in its first stage of expansion. Start of production is planned for Q3 2012. At the Ras Laffan Industrial City location in the North East of Qatar the Joint Venture has access to an excellent chemicals infrastructure with favorable energy prices.

With this project, SolarWorld is further securing its supply of solar-grade silicon in addition to the company's own production, its own raw materials recycling activities and its long-term delivery contracts.

[source: SolarWorld]

Mitsubishi Electric expands production of PV cells, modules and inverters

March 1st, 2010 | Posted in Solar

Mitsubishi Electric has completed construction of PV Cell Plant #2, a new PV cell production facility at its Nakatsugawa Works Iida Factory in Nagano Prefecture. By March 2011, the company will raise its annual PV cell/module production capacity by 50 MW to 270 MW, and ultimately plans to reach an annual capacity of 600 MW at an early stage.

In addition, to respond mainly to the large increase in demand for PV inverters for residential-use in the Japanese market, Mitsubishi Electric will raise its monthly PV inverter production capacity at its Nakatsugawa Works by 50% from 4,000 units to 6,000 units in May 2010.

At the same time, they will build new production lines to manufacture monocrystalline silicon PV modules at its Nakatsugawa Works Kyoto Factory in Kyoto Prefecture.

The company's expansion of production capacity is in response to the sharp increase in global demand for PV systems.

[source: Mitsubishi Electric]

Showa Shell Solar to open new offices in California and Germany (Munich); Announces new name and brand – Solar Frontier

March 1st, 2010 | Posted in Solar

Showa Shell Solar announced that it will open two overseas offices this April in Northern California and Munich, as part of its plan to facilitate 1 GW per year of sales and delivery of its proprietary CIS solar panels to customers worldwide. The move will be accompanied by a global branding consolidation under a single name, Solar Frontier, and a new logo.

Commenting on the announcement, Solar Frontier's CEO Shigeaki Kameda said: "We chose Solar Frontier as the name of our international division a few years ago because we knew we stood at the frontier of the photovoltaic industry in terms of research and development. With CIS solar technology, our PV modules today combine compelling economics, non-toxic materials, lower energy consumption in production, increasingly higher efficiency, and greater potential for tomorrow. With this announcement we signal our commitment and capacity to set and supply the new global standard for photovoltaic panels into the future, starting with the European and North American office expansions."

[source: Showa Shell Solar]

PlanetSolar's solar boat gets its power from SunPower's solar cells

March 1st, 2010 | Posted in Solar

PlanetSolar unveiled the world's largest solar boat, which will be powered exclusively by SunPower's solar cells. The company's plan is to launch its catamaran for testing in late March and then embark on a round-the-world tour in early 2011.

The boat will get its power from approximately 38,000 of SunPower's next generation cells, with each cell offering an efficiency of at least 22%. The catamaran is expected to be the fastest solar boat to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the first to cross both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Stopovers include Hamburg, London and Paris in Europe, New York and San Francisco in the U.S., and Singapore and Abu Dhabi. The solar boat will be available for public display during each of its stops, offering an educational opportunity to all visitors…

[source: PlanetSolar]

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