Westinghouse Solar Inc., a designer and manufacturer of solar power systems, has released a new lightweight, non-penetrating flat-roof solar power system designed for commercial rooftop projects.
Westinghouse Solar says it has combined its new 235 W solar panel with a new lightweight, aluminum and stainless steel flat-roof mounting system. The system is non-penetrating, thereby reducing the possibility of roof leaks and preserving roof warranties. The system also has been aerodynamically designed with extensive wind tunnel testing to resist high winds, thereby minimizing the ballast weight necessary for the system, the company adds.
The total system weight is 2.7 lbs. per square foot, making the product suitable for virtually all commercial rooftops, according to the company.
The product is available for order in the U.S. immediately, with availability in Europe and Asia during the third quarter.
SOURCE: Westinghouse Solar
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Intersolar Europe - June 8-10 in Munich
Intersolar Europe, which will be held June 8-10 in Munich, Germany, is scheduled to include a special exhibition called PV Energy World. According to Solar Promotion GmbH, the conference's organizers, the exhibition is designed to address the need for solar power to become more "sophisticated and flexible" as its role in Germany's electricity supply grows.
The exhibition will highlight the growth potential of solar power in the German energy mix and illustrate the measures, technological advances and political conditions necessary to achieve the country's set targets.
According to estimates from the German Federal Network Agency, more than 240,000 new photovoltaic installations with a total output of 7.25 GW were connected to the grid in 2010. By the end of the year, the total installed PV capacity reached approximately 17 GW. In the future, installations will need to actively help stabilize the power network.
SOURCE: Solar Promotion GmbH
The exhibition will highlight the growth potential of solar power in the German energy mix and illustrate the measures, technological advances and political conditions necessary to achieve the country's set targets.
According to estimates from the German Federal Network Agency, more than 240,000 new photovoltaic installations with a total output of 7.25 GW were connected to the grid in 2010. By the end of the year, the total installed PV capacity reached approximately 17 GW. In the future, installations will need to actively help stabilize the power network.
SOURCE: Solar Promotion GmbH
California Energy Commission Approves Additional PV Supplier
AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) says that its multicrystalline solar modules EcoDuo PM220P00 and EcoDuo PM240P00 and its monocrystalline solar module GreenTriplex PM250M00 have been added to the California Energy Commission's (CEC) list of eligible equipment.
This certification allows the modules to officially enter into the U.S market. Residential and business consumers can receive financial rebates if they purchase and install solar systems from the CEC's Eligible Solar Electric Equipment List, AUO says. These solar modules must pass the UL 1703 testing to ensure safety, reliability and compliance with the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation for the maximum power determination and measurement of temperature coefficients.
AUO modules also can be sold in other U.S. states that have adopted the CEC standards, such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
SOURCE: AU Optronics Corp.
This certification allows the modules to officially enter into the U.S market. Residential and business consumers can receive financial rebates if they purchase and install solar systems from the CEC's Eligible Solar Electric Equipment List, AUO says. These solar modules must pass the UL 1703 testing to ensure safety, reliability and compliance with the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation for the maximum power determination and measurement of temperature coefficients.
AUO modules also can be sold in other U.S. states that have adopted the CEC standards, such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
SOURCE: AU Optronics Corp.
Friday, April 22, 2011
DOE Provides $1.187 B Loan Guarantee for 250 MW Calif Project
SunPower Corp., sponsor of the 250 MW California Valley Solar Ranch power plant, says that the project has been offered support via a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $1.187 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The project is under development in San Luis Obispo County, Calif.
NRG Solar, a subsidiary of NRG Energy Inc., will assume all ownership and financing responsibilities for the project, subject to certain conditions. SunPower will design, build, and initially operate and maintain the solar power plant.
Construction is expected to start in the second half of this year, contingent on permitting and financing, with a portion of the project expected to begin operations by the end of this year and the balance coming online in 2012 and 2013.
SOURCE: SunPower
NRG Solar, a subsidiary of NRG Energy Inc., will assume all ownership and financing responsibilities for the project, subject to certain conditions. SunPower will design, build, and initially operate and maintain the solar power plant.
Construction is expected to start in the second half of this year, contingent on permitting and financing, with a portion of the project expected to begin operations by the end of this year and the balance coming online in 2012 and 2013.
SOURCE: SunPower
Suntech Beats First Solar for #1 PV Mfr in 2010
Suntech was the largest PV module supplier in 2010, growing its shipments by more than 130% over the previous year, to ship more megawatts than any of its competitors, according to a new report from IMS Research. First Solar, which held the top spot in 2009, fell to second place, increasing its shipments by less than 50% - although the total market more than doubled.
IMS Research's analysis of the global PV supply chain, based on shipment data from hundreds of suppliers, reveals that although market conditions meant that all suppliers could grow their shipments, some suppliers were able to benefit more than others.
In particular, Chinese tier-one suppliers Canadian Solar and Hanwha SolarOne (formerly Solarfun) both gained two places in the rankings. In fact, all of the suppliers in the top ten that gained rank were Chinese. Conversely, both of the suppliers that lost rank were Western, headquartered in the U.S.
One Western supplier bucking this trend was REC, which moved quickly up the rankings to become the 11th largest supplier of PV modules in 2010, IMS Research says.
"2010 was an outstanding year for everyone in the PV industry," says Sam Wilkinson, PV market analyst at IMS Research. "Module suppliers were able to benefit from the strong demand, which lasted all year, and make great increases in their shipments.
"Five of the top ten suppliers more than doubled them; some even increased them by more than 150 percent," he adds.
Another clear winner in 2010 was JA Solar - another large Chinese supplier - which increased its production by nearly 180%, becoming the largest producer of PV cells, after having been only the fifth largest producer in 2009.
However, IMS Research predicts a slowdown in growth for the PV module market in 2012, as many major European markets are expected cool following amendments to incentive schemes.
SOURCE: IMS Research
IMS Research's analysis of the global PV supply chain, based on shipment data from hundreds of suppliers, reveals that although market conditions meant that all suppliers could grow their shipments, some suppliers were able to benefit more than others.
In particular, Chinese tier-one suppliers Canadian Solar and Hanwha SolarOne (formerly Solarfun) both gained two places in the rankings. In fact, all of the suppliers in the top ten that gained rank were Chinese. Conversely, both of the suppliers that lost rank were Western, headquartered in the U.S.
One Western supplier bucking this trend was REC, which moved quickly up the rankings to become the 11th largest supplier of PV modules in 2010, IMS Research says.
"2010 was an outstanding year for everyone in the PV industry," says Sam Wilkinson, PV market analyst at IMS Research. "Module suppliers were able to benefit from the strong demand, which lasted all year, and make great increases in their shipments.
"Five of the top ten suppliers more than doubled them; some even increased them by more than 150 percent," he adds.
Another clear winner in 2010 was JA Solar - another large Chinese supplier - which increased its production by nearly 180%, becoming the largest producer of PV cells, after having been only the fifth largest producer in 2009.
However, IMS Research predicts a slowdown in growth for the PV module market in 2012, as many major European markets are expected cool following amendments to incentive schemes.
SOURCE: IMS Research
Friday, April 15, 2011
Google Invests In BrightSource's Ivanpah Solar Pro
BrightSource Energy Inc. has closed financing for the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. As part of the financing, BrightSource finalized $1.6 billion in loans guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Energy's loan programs office.
The company also announced that Google will join NRG Solar LLC and BrightSource as an equity investor in the project by making a $168 million investment. In October 2010, NRG Solar LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, announced its commitment to invest up to $300 million to become the lead investor in the project.
The Ivanpah project is located on approximately 3,500 acres of federal land managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in California. The project is a 392 MW solar power facility consisting of three separate solar thermal power plants. The power generated from these solar plants will be sold under separate contracts with Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison.
SOURCE: BrightSource Energy Inc.
The company also announced that Google will join NRG Solar LLC and BrightSource as an equity investor in the project by making a $168 million investment. In October 2010, NRG Solar LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, announced its commitment to invest up to $300 million to become the lead investor in the project.
The Ivanpah project is located on approximately 3,500 acres of federal land managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in California. The project is a 392 MW solar power facility consisting of three separate solar thermal power plants. The power generated from these solar plants will be sold under separate contracts with Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison.
SOURCE: BrightSource Energy Inc.
Solar Venture Capital Funding Off To Strong Start In First Quarter
Venture capital (VC) funding in the solar sector posted positive results for the first quarter of 2011 (Q1'11), coming in at $658 million in 25 deals - compared to $238 million in the previous quarter and $311 million in the first quarter of last year.
According to a report from Mercom Capital Group LLC, a global clean energy communications and consulting firm, the trend was similar in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) space, with activity amounting to $1.4 billion in 18 transactions for Q1'11, compared to $266 million in the fourth quarter of 2010 (Q4'10) and $909 million in the first quarter of (Q1'10). Debt and other types of funding activities came in at $9.7 billion in Q1'11 with 15 deals.
"Looking at the first-quarter funding activities, it is clear that VC investors' appetite for solar has not gone away," says Raj Prabhu, managing partner at Mercom Capital Group. "In fact, this was the best VC funding quarter since Q2 of 2010 ($948 million) and the second best quarter since Q4 of 2008."
The top five funding deals made up for almost 70% of the total funding in this quarter, led by a $201 million Series E raise by BrightSource Energy. MiaSole raised $106 million in Series F funding; Alta Devices, raised $72 million in a Series C, Solopower raised $51.6 million in a Series E and Kiran Energy raised $30 million in a Series A.
Thin-film companies attracted the most funding, with $283 million raised in seven deals, the report adds. Copper indium gallium selenide was the most popular technology within thin films, accounting for $196 million in four deals. Concentrating solar power companies raised $212 million in three deals, followed by $84 million raised by solar downstream companies in six deals.
There were 55 different VC investors that participated in 24 disclosed deals, according to Mercom Capital. VC firms that recorded multiple rounds included Crosslink Capital, Vantage Point Venture Partners, Convexa Capital Ventures, Hudson Clean Energy Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.
In continuing with last year's trend, VC arms of companies remained active in the solar sector. These investors included Alstom, BP, GE, Chevron, Dow Chemical, Intel and Hanwha. California State Teachers’ Retirement System, a pension fund, also invested in the sector this quarter.
Among countries, the U.S. was dominant in VC funding, accounting for 87% of all VC funding in the first quarter; 89% of all VC funds raised by solar companies in 2010 were also from the U.S.
Out of $9.8 billion announced in debt and other funding, $7.6 billion came in from the Bank of China for Jinko Solar. This is a continuing trend from the last year, when Chinese government banks provided a total of approximately $34 billion in credit to Chinese solar manufacturers, the report says. There was $2.1 billion in non-Chinese debt transactions, showing significant improvement in the credit markets in Q1'11 - and only $2.2 billion in non-Chinese debt and other funding in all of 2010.
A complete list of Q1'11 transactions in the solar sector is available here.
SOURCE: Mercom Capital Group
According to a report from Mercom Capital Group LLC, a global clean energy communications and consulting firm, the trend was similar in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) space, with activity amounting to $1.4 billion in 18 transactions for Q1'11, compared to $266 million in the fourth quarter of 2010 (Q4'10) and $909 million in the first quarter of (Q1'10). Debt and other types of funding activities came in at $9.7 billion in Q1'11 with 15 deals.
"Looking at the first-quarter funding activities, it is clear that VC investors' appetite for solar has not gone away," says Raj Prabhu, managing partner at Mercom Capital Group. "In fact, this was the best VC funding quarter since Q2 of 2010 ($948 million) and the second best quarter since Q4 of 2008."
The top five funding deals made up for almost 70% of the total funding in this quarter, led by a $201 million Series E raise by BrightSource Energy. MiaSole raised $106 million in Series F funding; Alta Devices, raised $72 million in a Series C, Solopower raised $51.6 million in a Series E and Kiran Energy raised $30 million in a Series A.
Thin-film companies attracted the most funding, with $283 million raised in seven deals, the report adds. Copper indium gallium selenide was the most popular technology within thin films, accounting for $196 million in four deals. Concentrating solar power companies raised $212 million in three deals, followed by $84 million raised by solar downstream companies in six deals.
There were 55 different VC investors that participated in 24 disclosed deals, according to Mercom Capital. VC firms that recorded multiple rounds included Crosslink Capital, Vantage Point Venture Partners, Convexa Capital Ventures, Hudson Clean Energy Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.
In continuing with last year's trend, VC arms of companies remained active in the solar sector. These investors included Alstom, BP, GE, Chevron, Dow Chemical, Intel and Hanwha. California State Teachers’ Retirement System, a pension fund, also invested in the sector this quarter.
Among countries, the U.S. was dominant in VC funding, accounting for 87% of all VC funding in the first quarter; 89% of all VC funds raised by solar companies in 2010 were also from the U.S.
Out of $9.8 billion announced in debt and other funding, $7.6 billion came in from the Bank of China for Jinko Solar. This is a continuing trend from the last year, when Chinese government banks provided a total of approximately $34 billion in credit to Chinese solar manufacturers, the report says. There was $2.1 billion in non-Chinese debt transactions, showing significant improvement in the credit markets in Q1'11 - and only $2.2 billion in non-Chinese debt and other funding in all of 2010.
A complete list of Q1'11 transactions in the solar sector is available here.
SOURCE: Mercom Capital Group
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)