Manufacturing

According to new research, there is rising anxiety among photovoltaic project developers, who are looking to sell their power purchase agreements (PPAs) before even starting construction on their projects. The lack of experience of companies operating in photovoltaics has been cited as the main reason.

GE has announced that it will build a new 400 megawatt (MW) cadmium telluride thin film photovoltaic panel manufacturing facility in Aurora, Colorado. Over 450 jobs are expected to be created.

NextEnergy Capital’s two megawatt (MW) U.K. photovoltaic plant has been officially commissioned this week. The European merchant bank has now announced plans to manage and operate a number of other utility-scale projects across the country.

In Germany, the Renewable Energy Law (EEG) levy will increase next year to 3.592 euro cents per kilowatt hour. Further expansion of renewables is not the reason for the increase; the cause is in fact a new “liquidity buffer”. The buffer was actually supposed to come into effect with the 2012 EEG amendment.

U.S.-based Natcore Technology Inc. and the Italian MX Holding S.p.A. are looking to form a joint venture (JV) aimed at developing new technologies for a consortium of Italian photovoltaic panel producers. They will also open a new manufacturing facility.

Arise Technologies Deutschland GmbH (Arise Germany) has entered structured insolvency. Failure to secure adequate financing for the development of its solar plans was cited as the primary reason.

SunPower is set to build a five megawatt (MW) solar farm in Hawaii, after receiving the go ahead from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to sell the generated electricity to the Hawaiian Electric Company.

Germany-based Centrosolar Group AG posted a positive third quarter (Q3) EBIT, but falling revenues. Overall, the company has revised its full year guidance downwards.

Ideal Power Converters (IPC) has been awarded USD$2.5 million by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) to develop lighter and cheaper solar inverters.

PVNavigator, LLC is set to install a 3.1 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic system at a landfill in New Jersey. In related news, Tioga Energy and Chevron Energy Solutions have said they will build a 1.15 MW system atop a capped Californian landfill.