Installations

Quanta Power Generation, Inc., a subsidiary of Quanta Services, Inc., has won two contracts from GCL Solar Energy, Inc. under which it will provide EPC services for two U.S. photovoltaic plants worth 70 megawatts (MW).

Korea-based STX Group is renowned for its ship building and trading activities. However, since 2009, the company has been steadily ramping up its solar cell production, and launched its first module in 2011. In an interview with pv magazine the company talks about its photovoltaic factory plans and large-scale project ambitions.

Photovoltaic module manufacturer, Canadian Solar Inc. and project developer, SkyPower Limited have formed a joint venture (JV) under which they will install up to 200 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaics in Ontario, Canada. They will also develop projects internationally.

Lanco Solar has completed and connected 56 megawatts (MW) worth of photovoltaic projects to the grid in the Indian state of Gujarat.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its sophisticated think tank, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), is funding a $30 million research competition that will engage America’s brightest scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in improving the capability of energy storage devices, including batteries.

In 2011, Poland’s photovoltaic module market was worth as much as PLN 500 million (€120 million), according to figures released by the country’s Renewable Energy Institute (IEO) in April.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) moved ahead this week with its plans to mete out “more fight for less fuel”. With support from the White House, the Pentagon intends to reduce reliance on fossil fuels by building next-generation combat vehicles, making energy storage safer and more effective, and increasing the deployment of renewable energy across America’s Armed Forces to three gigawatts (GW) by 2025.

Korea-based Hanwha Solar has opened a new R&D center in Santa Clara, California. The goal is to develop next generation photovoltaic concepts, with a focus on efficiency and low cost.

Just how important is “home advantage” to players in the renewable energy sector? It could be a game changer, according to Japan and the European Union, both of which have brought complaints against Canada for violating the rules of fair competition.

The Italian government has announced that the country’s new renewable energy law, Conto Energia V, will come into effect when the €6 billion photovoltaic feed-in tariff (FIT) ceiling is reached – expected to be between this July and October. It has also laid out initial proposals for the new law, which include remuneration cuts, an annual installation cap, and big changes to ground-mounted criteria.