Solar electricity News for January 2013

Solar electricity News Archive

Panasonic completes University of Colorado PV system

Global electronics conglomerate Panasonic has completed a 500kW solar PV installation at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder), as part of the university’s efforts to decarbonise its campus.

USA hot on Europe’s heels as global utility PV hits 9GW

The global installed capacity of utility-scale solar power stations hit the 9GW mark in 2012 after another record year of installations of power stations rated 10MW and higher, analysis from Wiki-Solar has revealed.

UK: Green Deal goes live

The UK Government’s pay-as-you-save scheme, the Green Deal, has gone live, offering domestic households access to energy saving home improvements without any upfront costs for the first time.

Juwi plans flood protected Thai PV projects

German energy group Juwi is set to construct five PV projects with a total capacity of 48MW in two provinces in northwestern and eastern Thailand - and in response to Thailand’s 2011 floods it plans to make the projects flood-protected.

ABB wins Greek solar inverter contracts

ABB in Greece has been awarded contracts to supply solar inverters for around 33MW of solar power in different projects across mainland Greece – all of which are due to be commissioned in the coming months.

An inconvenient truth - Editorial leader from the January/February 2013 issue of Renewable Energy Focus

The global growth of renewable energy over the last few years cannot be disputed, but can it really play a major role in the world of large-scale electricity generation?

Obama opens door for renewable energy push in US Obama opens door for renewable energy push in US

In his inaugural speech for his second term in office, U.S. President Barack Obama has upped the ante, promising to show global leadership on climate change and support the development of clean energy...

Google invests $200 million in Texas wind farm

The 161 MW Spinning Spur Wind Project is located in Oldham County in the Texas Panhandle, and was built by EDF Renewable Energy

New WWF report says land requirements for PV are "insignificant"

A new report released on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit claims that even if all electricity is to be generated through renewable energy (RE) sources, and with solar photovoltaics (PV) alone, it would take up only an "insignificant" amount of total land area, contrary to common perception.

NPD Solarbuzz: China consumed 33% of global PV panel shipments in Q4 2012

The Chinese end-market dominated shipments of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels during the final quarter of 2012 with 33% of global end-market demand, according to new research released in the NPD Solarbuzz Quarterly report.

Dow Corning and Crystal Solar to collaborate on solar innovations

Dow Corning says it will help support Crystal's venture-funded "breakthrough" technology - a “direct gas to module” process using an epitaxial chemical vapor deposition (CVD) approach.

Half of new US power capacity in 2012 renewable – FERC

Almost half of all new generating capacity installed in the United States during 2012 was renewable, a new report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has said.

Kyocera to supply Japan’s first community solar project

Kyocera is to supply solar panels and services to Japan’s first community solar power project in the Wakayama Prefecture and Kyoto city, after signing a supply agreement with the project developers, Kyocera said late last week.

Germany: Trina Solar supplies PV to former military airfield

Trina Solar has supplied 61MW of PV modules to a large-scale solar project on a former military airfield in the state of Brandenburg, Germany.

UK launches national PV centre to deliver 20GW target

The UK has launched a national centre for solar PV, in an effort to deliver the government’s goal of 20GW of installed capacity by 2020, up from 1.4GW at present.

China to join International Renewable Energy Agency

China has announced it will join the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a milestone in international efforts to double the share of renewable energy worldwide by 2030.

IEA-RETD launches new policy action plan IEA-RETD launches new policy action plan

A new publication from Elsevier, developed by the IEA Implementing Agreement for Renewable Energy Technology Deployment (IEA-RETD), explores six policy categories that are "essential" for the acceleration of renewable energy deployment.

MidAmerican scoops huge Californian solar projects

MidAmerican Renewables has acquired two adjacent solar projects in southern California – together the “largest permitted solar PV development in the world” - from SunPower Corp.

EDF closes financing on 143MW Catalina solar project

French utility EDF has brought its 143MW Catalina solar project in California one step closer to completion with the sale of a majority stake in the scheme, closing financing for the project.

Trina Solar declares 2013 “year of the solar farm” as it bags 55MW solar supply deal

Trina Solar is to supply up to 55MW of solar PV modules to renewables developer Anesco over the coming months.

French firm launches floating solar power system to market French firm launches floating solar power system to market

Solar firm Ciel et Terre has launched a large-scale floating solar power generation system – the “world’s first”, according to the French company.