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Solar Power Colorado 2012: The Potential for solar thermal

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:27:50 GMT

Here at Solar Power Colorado, solar thermal was referred to as the sleeping giant of renewable energy. That’s probably because, while solar PV efficiency currently tops out at about 20%, commercially available solar thermal efficiencies can be up to 80% efficient.

Funding Delay Hurts First Solar

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:39:02 GMT

First Solar shares plummeted almost 9% today following a funding delay for a solar plant in California.

In an SEC filing, the thin-film solar panel maker reported the first round of financing it was expecting under a $646-million loan guarantee backed by the US Department of Energy had been held up by construction permitting issues.

US DOE Launches Solar Training

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:53:47 GMT

The US Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative is developing two new training programs that will be available through the Solar Instructor Training Network in spring 2012. This nationwide collaboration between community colleges, labor training centers, and nine Regional Training Providers is intended to provide high-quality photovoltaic (PV) occupational skills courses and training for every state in the country.

EU Project Aims to Increase Solar Use

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:07:20 GMT

The partners in ENIAC (European Nanoelectronics Initiative Council), a publicly funded EU project to improve the solar-energy supply chain, today announced details of the multinational/multidisciplinary program, Energy for a Green Society (ERG). This three-year ENIAC Joint Undertaking project aims to achieve substantial advances in the solar-energy supply chain, from sustainable harvesting to smart distribution. These advances include pushing solar-cell efficiency towards 25% and reducing power conversion losses by 20%.

Soitec Secures Financing for South Africa Solar Plant

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:28:54 GMT

Soitec (Euronext), today said it has secured financing from Africa’s Investec Bank to build the company’s planned 50-megawatt (MW) peak solar power plant in Touwsrivier, Western Cape, South Africa. Investec has committed to finance the project and raise the equity to construct the plant, which will be equipped with Soitec’s fifth-generation Concentrix concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems. All financial arrangements are expected to be finalized by the end of the second quarter of 2012.

Intersolar EU 2012: Growth in PV Brings New Opportunities for Solar Industry

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:00:00 GMT

The PV Energy World Special Exhibit at Intersolar Europe 2012, which is at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre (hall C4, booth C4.230) on 13-15 June 2012 in Munich, Germany, showcases innovative solutions for the power supply of the future.

Solar Power Colorado 2012: Soft Costs

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:52:12 GMT

The costs one typically associates with solar power—the materials, panels, and inverters—are dropping, but at this year’s Solar Power Colorado conference, taking place 9-10 February in Loveland, Colorado (US), many eyes have turned to the hidden costs associated with solar and what can be done to lower them.

Leadcom Implements Large Solar Systems for Telecom in Chile

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:40:57 GMT

Leadcom Integrated Solutions designed and successfully implemented three large-scale solar power systems for one of the world's largest telecommunications operators, the Pan American Fibre-Optic Network connecting Chile to Peru, located in the Atacama Desert, 1,200 kilometres (~750 miles) from Santiago, Chile.

Taiwan Reduces Solar Feed-in Tariff

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:39:54 GMT

Taiwan has announced its new Feed-in Tariff (FiT) structure.

SolarWorld Powers US Military Communications Center

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:18:36 GMT

The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) complex, a headquarters for high-tech military command, communications and surveillance in San Diego, California, now hosts 1.3 megawatts of solar panels from SolarWorld, the solar manufacturer today announced. The system, the Navy’s largest contiguous rooftop solar array, is starting its first full year of generating electricity.