US: Installed price of PV systems continue to fall
The latest edition of Tracking the Sun, an annual PV cost-tracking report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) states that PV power system installed prices fell “substantially” in 2011 and through the first half of this year.
US: Yingli to supply 170 MW Centinela project
Vertically integrated photovoltaic manufacturer Yingli Green Energy has signed what it claims is its biggest ever module supply agreement. The company will ship 200 MW of its modules to Southern California for a utility scale project for Centinela Solar Energy.
Strong potential growth for storage, distributed generation and microgrids
IEEE announced today the release of a new report that they commissioned. The report details how energy storage, distributed generation and microgrid technologies stand to evolve given the rapid deployment of the smart grid across the globe over the next five years.
UK: Green Investment Bank officially open
The new Green Investment Bank has been officially opened. The institution has been funded with £3 billion (3.7 billion) government funds.
System integrators top utility scale development
Companies that both develop and install photovoltaic power plants known as system integrators have topped the latest list of large scale solar developers. German and American companies remain on top, however new entrants from Austria and China have made a dramatic jump in the ranking.
3M successfully completes Ceradyne tender offer
3M has announced that its tender offer to purchase all issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Ceradyne, Inc at US$35 per share was successful.
Yingli posts $150 million Q3 loss
While basking in the glow of its largest ever supply deal, Yingli Green Energy has posted a substantial loss for Q3 2012. The net loss of U.S. $152.6 million is an increase on the loss of $92 million in Q2, and $29 million in Q3 2011.
Training network for PV researchers
A new EU consortium will develop a training network for PV researchers. The KESTCELLS project as it is called has a total budget of over 3.7 million. The aim is to increase European competitiveness of existing technologies.
South Africa: SunEdison closes funding on 58 MW
SunEdison has announced today that it has closed US$314 million in financing for two utility scale photovoltaic power plants in South Africa. Plans to develop the 30 MW Witkop Solar Park and the 28 MW Soutpan Solar Park can now go ahead.
European consortium highlights competitiveness of PV
The PV PARITY Project has concluded that grid parity is imminent in several countries. The European wide project bases its results on system prices, retail electricity prices, cost of financing, and capacity in countries to self-consume PV power generated.
