2015年3月31日星期二

PowerLegato Energy Storage System Available In Australia

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The PowerLegato commercial and home energy storage system is now available to Australian customers from Energy Matters.Available in 7.2, 4.8 and 2.4 kWh models, the AU Optronics Corp. (AUO)  PowerLegato can be used in both on-grid and off-grid applications and boasts among the world's highest energy density in such a unit. AUO says the PowerLegato  can store an average 25% more energy per kilogram of weight than competing products.Very competitively priced, the PowerLegato is the recipient of iF and Reddot design awards and the software that runs the system, EnergyOptimizer, also won this year's iF Communication Award.

The PowerLegato's  hybrid inverter and charger architecture, EnergyOptimizer software and battery management system (BMS) helps ensure maximized power independence, safe operation and longer battery life. The system has been made to be as user-friendly as possible and incorporates a password protected touch panel.The PowerLegato's 48v lithium-ion batteries are made in Japan and feature over current, over temperature, over voltage and undervoltage protection.The unit is IP31 rated, meaning it is protected from condensation.When PowerLegato is installed in conjunction with a solar panel system, the main power supply will come from the PV system during favourable conditions and once the PowerLegato is fully charged; surplus exported to the mains grid.

During the night or on days with heavy cloud, the energy stored in PowerLegato can be used first and the mains grid acts as a backup. The system can also operate fully stand-alone from the grid.The 7.2kWh PowerLegato is approved by the Clean Energy Council for use in Australia (certificate number SAA141285) and for installation under the Renewable Energy Certificate scheme. Approval for the 4800 and 2400 models is currently being sought.The 7200, 4800 and 2400 PowerLegato are available from Energy Matters.

For further enquiries and pricing details, call 133 SUN or contact Energy Matters via www.energymatters.com.au.In April 2010, AU Optronics Corp was listed among the top 100 green companies in China. One of its subsidiary companies is BenQ Solar, the manufacturers of BenQ solar panels.The home energy storage revolution is at a point reminiscent of the rooftop solar revolution just a few years ago - the products are rapidly decreasing in price and the range available is growing at a fairly rapid clip.
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2015年3月30日星期一

Not All Tier-1 Solar Panels Are Equal - Energy Matters

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Not only are solar panels not created equal generally; major differences in quality can be found even among 'Tier-1′ modules.     A Tier-1 classification is considered top shelf. Makers of Tier-1 panels are vertically integrated, invest heavily in research and development, use advanced robotic processes and have been manufacturing panels for more than 5 years.      The Tier-1 space is getting rather crowded, with various manufacturers claiming the distinction. It's reached a point that even within the class, there are wildly varying levels of quality and it seems the term "Tier-1″ shouldn't be fully relied upon in making a solar purchase decision.    

An independent third-party study was recently carried out by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) into the effects of LID (Light Induced Degradation) and PID (Potential Induced Degradation)  on  REC solar panels vs a handful of Tier-1 competitors.    

REC says the study shows REC modules were less affected by LID than leading (unnamed) Chinese panels tested and REC solar panels experienced little or no degradation due to PID.      

In the Light Induced Degradation (LID) test, the 2 REC panels lost 4.45 watts and 4.6 watts. Panels from 5 other manufacturers experienced losses of between 5.1 watts and 12.25 watts. The test was run over 12 days on open circuit modules subjected to radiation levels of 40 kWh/m2.    

There was an even greater difference in the PID test.    

The Potential Induced Degradation (PID) test conditions; designed to damage panels, occurred over 96 hours at a temperature of 60C and humidity of 85%, with a voltage bias of 1000V. The glass surface was left uncovered.    

At the end of the test, the REC panel experienced no loss. Of the 4 other Tier-1 panels, one experienced zero degradation, another lost 13 watts capacity, the third lost 113.45 watts and the fourth; a whopping 124 watts - 51% of its nameplate capacity states REC.    

A summary of the test results can be viewed here (PDF).     Related:    Solar Power Consumer Guide Not All Solar Panels Are Equal Not All Solar Inverters Are Equal Tips For Choosing The Best Solar Panels

2015年3月26日星期四

Solar and storage clean technologies of choice for North America utilities - BNEF

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Solar and storage are emerging as the favoured technologies among utilities in the US and Canada as they expand their clean energy portfolios, according to a report issued by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).Solar energy and storage solutions dominated clean energy 'requests for proposals' by North American utilities according to BNEF analysis, which found that of 52 clean energy RFPs it tracked in 2014 more than half - 27 - were for solar energy while a further 12 were for energy smart technologies, with energy storage being of particular interest.The 52 RFPs totalled a capacity of 3.3GW of which solar was responsible for 1.8GW, representative of 55%.Western states sought the most RFPs, however states in the southeast of the region showed the biggest appetite for solar projects with all but 25MW of a total 925MW of RFPs falling under solar’s remit.

Will Nelson, head of analysis for BNEF in North America, said the data revealed a "strong interest"; in energy storage."Interestingly, most storage RFPs are looking for a relatively small amount of capacity, evidence that these may be initial experimental forays into a rapidly changing sector,"; he added.The report backs up forecasts made by GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association last week, estimating the US energy storage market to more than triple next year.

Although the majority of new energy storage in 2014 was in front of the meter, GTM expects behind-the-meter storage to account for 45% of the overall market by 2019, indicating a growing appetite from US utilities to invest in the technology.Speaking to PV Tech, Chris Edgette, senior director of the California Energy Storage Alliance, said that utilities had been surprised by the costs associated with storage."Now we’re seeing that utilities outside of California are taking a serious look at [storage] and finding out that it’s cost-effective in their area as well."I think we’re going to see a lot more utilities in other parts of the country getting a lot more procurement,"; he said.Additional reporting from Andy Colthorpe.

2015年3月25日星期三

SPI to install floating PV projects in the US

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Solar Power (SPI), a PV project developer, is partnering with Aqua lean Energy (ACE) to build floating PV projects in California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico.ACE and SPI will co-develop the floating PV plants that will equal an estimated combined size of more than 50MW.

They will do this by creating a joint venture holding company, Aqua Clean Energy Fund.The companies will utilise a floating solar platform made of recyclable materials that allows PV panels to be installed on bodies of water, such as reservoirs, quarry lakes, irrigation canals or remediation and tailing ponds. The companies hope it will have little environmental impact and will reduce water evaporation.

Xiaofenge Peng, chairman of SPI stated: "Large-scale floating PV systems have increasingly shown their effectiveness in various settings…This technology not only generates clean solar energy, but also serves to conserve water in critically dry regions like Southwestern US and California…";Other floating PV projects have been installed inKorea and Japan.

2015年3月24日星期二

German Solar Age’s Very first Eclipse Passes with Short Surge in Power Price

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BERLIN --Power costs in Germany fluttered as the initial eclipse from the emerging solar age passed and utility operators worked overtime to help keep the grid supplied.The phenomena highlighted the variable flows of electrical energy coming from such renewables as solar and wind. Coping with that intermittency has risen as an issue for grid operators as Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed for cleaner types of power to replace nuclear reactors."It will likely be a challenge but we are able to manage it," Urban Keussen, chief executive officer in the grid firm TenneT TSO GmbH, mentioned as the skies darkened at an operating station near Lehrte about 155 miles west of Berlin. "We can not ignore the volatile production of renewables. We need to have to expand and modernize the grids."TenneT brought in 8 gigawatts of creating capacity to balance the grid against solar energy that dropped out because the eclipse passed, double the usual rate.

In addition, it kept hydropower plants that retailer energy on standby and coordinated its flows with neighboring grid operators.Although there were no reports of energy shortages, rates for electrical energy in wholesale markets both surged and dipped for any quick time.The information under comes in the European Energy Exchange and tracksactual solar power generationfrom German energy companies throughout the day. Of course, solar generationrises steadily through the middle with the day, then falls to zero because the sun goes down. Friday, nonetheless, didn't look like most days, as this lightly annotated chart, viaBloomberg's Rob Verdonck, shows.Energy MarketPower delivered from 10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., when the skies had been close to their darkest, ranged from 950 euros a megawatt-hour to negative 130 euros, as outlined by the Epex Spot exchange.

For the full hour, energy ranged from 34 euros to 89 euros. When costs are adverse, suppliers are basically paid not to generate."It would have been tough to handle a predicament like now with out standard energy plants," Philipp Goetz, consultant at Energy Brainpool in Berlin, stated by telephone. "The market has reacted well. Folks made an work to purchase or sell the energy out there. Only about 30 percent from the balancing energy tendered had to be known as for by the grid operators. So we have not been in the verge of a blackout."While eclipses are somewhat rare events, policymakers are concerned that further expanding renewables will make strains around the grid additional routine. Following the meltdown at the Fukushima plant in Japan in 2011, Germany ordered its nuclear plants to close by 2022. Significantly of which will be replaced by renewables.Grid Impact"It's tougher to handle the grid using a high penetration of wind and solar," mentioned Pietro Radoia, a solar analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance in London. "But going forward, grid operators are going to obtain improved at managing. And it really is possible that battery storage will aid them out."Some all-natural gas and coal plants that ordinarily stand idle were tapped to create up for the lost solar power. Preceding eclipses such as one particular in 1999 passed without the need of affecting power markets since photovoltaics only took off around 2004.China, which isinstalling extra solar panels than any other nation, faces a parial eclipse in March 2016. A total eclispe will cross the U.S. in April 2017.

The darkest part of today's occasion curved across the north Atlantic Ocean past southern Iceland, the Faroe Islands and reached the west coast of Norway in the Arctic. Mainland Europe saw the sun partly obscured, with 87 percent cover on a foggy morning in London, 83 percent in Denmark and about 25 percent in Turkey.German SolarGermany has about 38 gigawatts of Europe's 81 gigawatts of solar capacity and was braced for any 70 percent slump in PV generation, MeteoGroup stated. A gigawatt is in regards to the identical as a nuclear reactor's capacity."Today is an absolute exceptional circumstance," mentioned Johannes Paeffgen, head of power trading at Next Kraftwerke in Cologne. "We can see that it is nonetheless operating effectively and we did not get to any price tag limits set by the exchange."Solar plants could produce greater than 22 gigawatts for the German grid on Friday.

If Germany adds wind and solar plants in the price of your past decade, "then what we see as a crisis will likely be a day-to-day phenomenon in 10 years," said Peter Hoffmann, head of your handle system for TenneT.Danske Commodities A/S, a power broker, enhanced employees due to the fact consumption throughout the event was hard to predict, stated Bo Palmgren, the company's head of intraday trading.Swedish utility Vattenfall AB sought to profit by selling output from power plants that usually aren't competitive, including gas- and oil-fired generators that "cost various hundred euros per megawatt-hour to operate," mentioned Hartmuth Fenn, head of intraday market access and dispatch.Italy has the region's second-biggest solar market place and also was impacted though extra of your sun will be visible at that latitude. Terna Rete Elettrica Nazionale SpA, the nation's grid operator, anticipated to shed about 7 gigawatts of your 19 gigawatts of out there PV supplies. It plans to make a statement this afternoon.

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2015年3月23日星期一

Bringing the Utility and Solar Markets With each other - Peacefully

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BOSTON --When procuring solar onto the grid, utilities shouldn’t need to recreate the wheel, stated Solar Electric Energy Association CEO Julia Hamm at the PV America conference this week in Boston, Massachusetts, but the approach also shouldn't be a contentious cat fight. So Hamm posed a query for attendees: "How do we modify the nature of this discourse - we never wish to be kittens, but how do we get away from lions fighting each other?"Since the utility market place is very regulated, it is incredibly resistant to modify and adaptation - quite various in the entrepreneurial spirit of solar.

So it's only natural that the two industries have hit some roadblocks on the road to integration, especially with regards to distributed generation. "Utility-scale solar is easier for utilities to comprehend - it really is much more of what they may be used to dealing with. Distributed generation is exactly where the challenges begin to come in," said Hamm.On the other hand, several Northeastern utilities are starting to figure it out. Massachusetts and New York, by way of example, are extremely focused on the policy and business enterprise sides of distributed generation with all the Mass. net-metering program and the N.Y. REV inititative. Northeast utilities must handle a a great deal diverse energy scenario than rest of country since there's not as significantly space for utility scale projects, so they're truly in the forefront of your utility of your future, as outlined by Hamm.Many utilities are also beginning to embrace community solar programs, which permit clients that aren't in a position to (or do not need to) install solar on their own roof to get solar power from 1 larger installation."Community solar means loads of various items to loads of unique men and women, nevertheless it is the quantity a single thing utilities desire to discuss nowadays," said Hamm.

"It's a win-win for utilities, the solar market and buyers."To further bridge this utility-solar business gap throughout the complete U.S., SEPA started its 51st State Initiative back in October 2014. It asked each the energy community and general public to imagine a blank power state - no market design, price structures - and create their ideal energy market place.SEPA has been gathering submissions and is now inside the method of evaluating the major concepts using the support of an expert panel. Quickly it's going to release a campaign to educate the public on these concepts, and ask people today to submit roadmaps on tips on how to attain the ideal scenarios. These crowdsourced implementation scenarios will once more be reviewed by a panel, who will compile a portfolio of roadmaps.

The hope is that utilities from any area will probably be able to pick a roadmap that very best fits their power landscape, and tailor it to their renewable integration plan."There is actually a large amount of excitement around this initiative - this is our try to modify the nature of discourse," mentioned Hamm. "Let's build a shared vision on the future. Let's uncover strategies to look at this collaboratively and design the future of solar and distributed power sources."You can nevertheless submit your suggestions towards the 51st State Initiative here, and keep an eye out for the top rated concepts, which will be released in the coming months.


2015年3月22日星期日

RET Capital secures over US$200 million in financing for four solar projects

Renewable Energy Trust Capital (RET Capital) has announced the financing of four solar projects in the US and Canada, totalling over US$200 million.
RET secured financing for two solar PV projects in Ontario.
The company closed a CAD$115million non-recourse debt for the procurement of two PV projects in Ontario, Canada with NORD/LB Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual).
This deal in Canada acquired 12.6MW DC DiscoveryLight and 14.2MW DC Fotolight from Canadian Solar and was closed in December 2014. The projects generate power under 20 year feed-in tariff contracts for the Ontario Power Authority.
RET Capital also acquired financing of US$121million for the procurement of two solar projects in California totalling over 44MW. They partnered again with NORD/LB and Massmutual in April 2014 to gain US$86.2million in financing for the 31.26MW DC McHenry Solar PV Plant in Modesto, California from K Road Power Holdings.
Along with KeyBank National Association they secured financing of US$35.2million in June 2014 for the 13.1MW DC Herber Solar PV project in Imperial County, California.
According John A Bohn, chief executive officer and chairman of RET Capital: “Nord/LB, MassMutual and KeyBank have contributed strongly to [their] recent accelerated growth.”
RET has acquired three other solar PV systems in Georgia in the past few weeks.

2015年3月19日星期四

Top 15 CleanTechnica Stories of the Week

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Would you believe it? Not a single Tesla story made it into the top 15 this week!Ah, of course you weren't fooled by that fib. In fact, Tesla took spots #1, #2, #4, #5 (sort of), and must have contributed to #15 as well. But there was actually a bit of diversity this week, with a fair number of solar, wind, “maybe some day” tech, and other stories landing in the top 15.

If you haven't checked out these stories yet, maybe now's the time?Tesla Gigafactory Pictures With Tesla Board (Elon Musk, JB Straubel, Steve Jurvetson, Kimbal Musk…)Tesla P85D VS. $400,000 Lamborghini Murcielago (Video)Strong Link Between California Drought & Climate Change Revealed TodayWhite Model X Spy Pics Surface On TwitterTesla Model S, Nissan LEAF, & BMW i3 Top US Electric Car Sales In FebruaryRayton Solar Using Particle Accelerators To Create Solar Panels That Are “60% Cheaper + 25% More Efficient Wind Turbine Blade Design Rapidly EvolvingEnergy Storage Could Reach Big Breakthrough Price Within 5 YearsDeutsche Bank: Solar Will Be Dominant Global Electricity Source By 2030Supersonic “Solar Fuel Cell” Could Churn Out Sustainable HydrogenSolar As Cheap As Coal… Why Not Cheaper?

Wind Energy Was Largest Source Of New US Electricity In 2014Instantly Double Your Electric Vehicle Range… Some Day….BYD E5 Electric Car Spotted, Claims 150 Mile RangeAmp Electric Aiming To Be The Tesla Motors Of Delivery Trucks & Vans

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2015年3月18日星期三

Ghana Increases Levy On Petroleum Products To Fund Solar Power Projects

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Developing countries are taking small yet definitive steps to reduce subsidies and implement taxes on fossil fuels, with Ghana being the latest to have taken a decision in the same direction.The President of Ghana has announced that the levy on petroleum products will be increased to $0.02 per litre. As per the provisions of the customs and excise duty act in Ghana, liquefied petroleum gas will be exempt from the levy.A part of the revenue raised from this levy will be used to establish the Renewable Energy Fund.

This fund, in turn, will be used to set up approximately 200,000 rooftop solar power projects which, according to reports, would “save 200 MW daily.”Additionally, a levy of $0.02 will be charged on a per kWh basis on electricity transmitted. Revenue from this levy, too, will be used for supporting solar power projects.Ghana has an installed power generation capacity of 2,100 MW, of which hydro-power has the lion's share of over 60%.

The government has shown serious intent to boost all renewable energy technologies including solar, wind, and small hydro power.Ghana passed the Renewable Energy Act in 2011 which introduced a feed-in tariff structure for project developers and renewable energy purchase obligation for distribution utilities. The Act gave powers to regulatory bodies to implement appropriate feed-in tariffs and renewable purchase obligation after discussions with stakeholders.

These supportive policy initiatives have started to attract international investors and project developers, many of whom have announced large-scale solar and wind energy projects.


2015年3月17日星期二

100,000 Florida Petition Signatures Secured For Expanding Solar

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Floridians for Solar Choice has secured 100,000 petition signatures to obtain a place on the 2016 ballot after only one month of collecting signatures. Should the campaign secure enough signatures, Florida voters would be able to vote in 2016 to expand solar choice.“We are pleased by the strong support we’ve received from around the state. In roughly one month, we have received thousands of petitions from more than 170 Florida cities from Altoona to Zephyrhills with more coming in every day,” stated Tory Perfetti, Chairman of the Floridians for Solar Choice political action committee.Currently, Florida law does not allow citizens to purchase solar power from anyone other than an electric utility.

Expanding solar choice in Florida would mean allowing direct purchasing of solar power from sources other than utilities, such as a small business that installed a solar panel array and produced more electricity than it used. The excess could be sold in a free market system. Homeowners might be able to also generate their own electricity and sell to buyers on the open market too.Obviously, opening up the solar energy market in Florida would probably not be something local utilities would prefer, but according to some, utilities have had a monopoly on electricity in American for too long. In fact, one could argue that what the utilities have been doing for a long time is actually hurting local economies by controlling most energy production and consumption.

If everyday people can generate their own electricity and sell it, they don't need a “middle man” like a utility for most of their electricity. They also could generate a side income to supplement their primary one. Opening up such possibilities is the point of the Floridians for Solar Choice campaign.“Gaining 100,000 signatures is an important milestone for the Floridians for Solar Choice campaign: it shows an extremely favorable early response by Florida citizens and, once the signatures are processed through the Supervisors of Elections, it will trigger the critical phase of the Florida Supreme Court’s review of the ballot language,” explained Dr. Stephen A. Smith, Executive Director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Florida is clearly a Republican state, and Republican politicians historically have opposed renewable energy. However, normal voting Republicans have historically supported it, especially solar. Some of them -; including a number of Tea Party members -; are clearly for solar choice in Florida, a state where there is plenty of sunshine and where it makes no sense to not expand solar power.Image Credit: paulkondratuk3194, Wiki Commons

2015年3月15日星期日

Canadian Solar vying to replace Trina Solar as global market leader in 2015

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According to PV module shipment guidance from the majority of likely candidates for 2015, Canadian Solar is closing in on 2014 market leader, Trina Solar.

Canadian Solar has guided PV modules shipments to be in the range of approximately 4.0GW to 4.3GW in 2015, including 3,300MW to 3,500MW of third-party module sales.

However, Trina Solar expects shipments to be in the range of between 4.4GW and 4.6GW, of which 700MW to 800MW of PV modules will be shipped to its downstream projects.

Another contender for climbing to market leader is JinkoSolar, which guided shipments of to be in the range of 3.3GW to 3.8GW in 2015, which includes 2.7GW to 3GW of module shipments to third parties.

The wild card remains Yingli Green, which has yet to release full-year 2014 financial results and shipment guidance for 2015. However, despite Yingli Green expecting to lose its 2014 top spot ranking to Trina Solar the company remains loss making, capacity constrained and burdened with over US$2 billion of debt.

Although its outsourcing manufacturing capacity capability topped 1GW in 2014, supporting a potential 4GW plus shipment figure, management had noted last year that to improve margins and return to profitability it would refrain from using OEM module production.

Key for Yingli Green will be whether it can expand in-house production or as with both Trina Solar and JinkoSolar leverage JV or production partners in an attempt to match its nearest rivals continued market share gains.

As with 2014, the top of the rankings table is expected to remain highly competitive throughout the year, which could be primarily dependent on the build-out and execution of Trina Solar’s and Canadian Solar’s PV project pipelines that finally determines the top rankings this year.

2015年3月12日星期四

ReneSola’s PV testing lab given witness testing certification by UL

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The Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has authorized ReneSola’s PV testing lab to undertake supervised item testing under its Witness Testing Information System (WTDP).The WTDP certification enables ReneSola’s PV testing laboratory in Jiangsu, China to potentially bring merchandise to marketplace sooner.

"This UL certification reflects our longstanding commitment to quality and also the world-class amount of our technical facilities," stated Dr. Bill Hou, ReneSola's item center director. "By functioning with knowledgeable UL staff in our own laboratory, we are going to not merely make certain that our award-winning PV goods meet all applicable quality and performance standards, but may also help us to provide these solutions to our worldwide sales and distribution centers far more rapidly."

PV equipment specialist Singulus Technologies said it had received contractually agreed payments for CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, selenide)thin-film gear believed to be for Hanergy’s planned capacity expansions in China.Singulus had initially signed an order it said was over €15 million wet-chemical coating processing tools from an unidentified customer in China, later confirmed by the firm to become with Hanergy Solar, now recognized as Hanergy Thin Film (HTF). The order was for its second generation TENUIS II platform applied for buffer layer deposition.On the other hand, Singulus said that the order had been ratified by the relevant boards having a worth of around €20 million. 

The order would also include things like inline vacuum coating machines.Consequently, Singulus had placed the order within its order backlog and anticipated deliveries with the equipment to be undertaken in its current economic year.Hanergy had previously announced plans to build turnkey production lines in China having a nameplate capacity of 300MW employing MiaSolé-based CIGS sputtering approach technology as well as a second 300MW line making use of Solibro’s co-evaporating manufacturing procedure technologies.

2015年3月11日星期三

Rijn Capital gets US$104 million for Chile project from regional bank

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Dutch clean power investor Rijn Capital has secured US$104 million in building financing for a project in Chile from CorpBanca, the country?ˉs third biggest industrial bank.Perform around the San Pedro III project, listed by Rijn Capital as a 33.7MW web page, was scheduled to begin in January 2015.

Rijn has a 500MW pipeline of solar projects in Chile. The five San Pedro projects, at various stages of improvement, are all sited within the northern Antofagasta area, just south of Calama.In accordance with documents submitted for the UN Clean Development Mechanism in 2013, the project will use Yingli modules.

Solar created big headways in Chile in 2014, and the Latin American nation has been tipped to be another robust performer once more in 2015.

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2015年3月10日星期二

Qatar set to announce 200MW solar tender - reports

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Qatar is close to opening a long-awaited tender for 200MW of solar power capacity, according to local media reports.The plant would be the very first step in the installation of 10GW of solar as part of the country’s Qatar National Vision 2030.The Al Sharq newspaper claimed the local distribution organization, Kahramma, had decided on the best way to pursue its longer term commitments under the 2030 vision.

The tender was also openly discussed in November 2014 at an industry summit.In late 2012 the country mentioned it was close to issuing a tender for 200MW of an 1800MW solar development, to become completed by 2020. The 200MW tender was pencilled in for Q1 2013 and eventually confirmed again in October 2013 without formally launching.Solar has begun making progress inside the Middle East in recent months, with Jordan, Egypt and the UAE among the notable countriesEgypt launched a 2.3GW solar tender that was twice over subscribed.

Dubai solicited the lowest ever bid for a PV plant in its own 100MW tender. The winning consortium, led by Saudi Arabian power engineering firm ACWA Energy, then negotiated a doubling of the project size to 200MW.Neighbouring Emirate Sharjah has now launch a build-own-operate tender for a 20MW project.Jordan agreed 200MW of power purchase agreements (PPAs) for solar in early 2014 but had to postpone a fresh tender in late 2014 as a result of grid constraints.

2015年3月9日星期一

Main Street Power acquired by AES Corporation

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Main Street Power Company has been acquired by global power company AES Corporation, with AES netting 100% of Main Street Power’s shares.

Possessing a portfolio of over 200 commercial projects and several residential platforms, Main Street Power has a capacity to supply the equivalent of over 17,000 households with power annually.

As a result of the deal, AES will now gain almost 60MW of operational distributed generation PV projects and an additional 100MW of projects under development in the US, Caribbean and Latin America to its 35GW portfolio.

Going forward, Main Street Power will operate under the name of AES Distributed Energy and will remain in Main Street Power’s existing headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.

Amory Host, president and CEO of AES Distributed Energy, said: “As part of AES, we see tremendous opportunity to build on and grow the environmental, economic and social benefits that distributed solar generation brings to the communities, homeowners, schools, municipalities, businesses and utilities we serves.”

Chris Shelton, vice president of New Energy Solutions, added: “The addition of the AES Distributed Energy group to AES strengthens our ability to provide affordable and sustainable energy solutions to our customers. By combining the experience AES has in running and operating generation and utilities in 18 countries and in bringing innovative solutions such as energy storage to market with the expertise AES Distributed Energy has in delivering distributed solar solutions to customers, we believe we can successfully extend our share of the rapidly growing market.”

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2015年3月8日星期日

Lightsource and Octopus refinance 76.4MW with Barclays

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Developer Lightsource Renewable Energy and fund manager Octopus Investments have completed the refinancing of 76.4MW of UK solar farms.            

The £76 million deal with Barclays also includes a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with 'big six' utility, npower.

The three projects in question – Abbots Ripton (24.7MW), Mingay Farm (19.3MW) and Ermine Street (32.4MW) – have all qualified for the renewable obligation (RO) scheme.

“The trust and support we have garnered in recent years from key financial institutions like Barclays has allowed us to grow and develop into the leading solar energy portfolio holder in the UK,” said Paul McCartie, structured finance director, Lightsource. “It is our ambition to achieve more than 1GW of installed capacity by March 2015, and refinancing is an essential component in helping us reach this important industry milestone. We look forward to working with Barclays in future on further financings."

Barclays was the lead arranger on the deal and has now backed more than 200MW of UK solar in the past three years.

“Octopus and Lightsource are leading the way in the UK solar market so it is only natural that we would look to support them in achieving their ambitions,” said Neil Fleming, director of infrastructure and project finance, Barclays. “As a business, Barclays is a huge advocate of the UK market and is committed to assisting the transition to a low carbon economy and increasing the number of green jobs in the UK."

Lightsource has set itself the target of passing the 1GW installed capacity landmark in the UK by the end of the month. This deadline coincides with the closure of the RO scheme to projects over 5MW in size. From 1 April, these projects will only be able to apply for support through the competitive contracts for difference (CfD) scheme.

The results of the first CfD auction were announced last week with less than 72MW of solar being offered contracts. Two of the five projects are expected to reject their offers after bidding very low in expectation that the weighted average of accepted bids would drag up the price.

Lightsource was awarded a contract for a 14.67MW project in the auction.

2015年3月5日星期四

Vivint Solar absorbs Solmetric; discontinues SunEye range

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The team behind the popular Solmetric PV instruments will be fully integrated into a new research and development team for Vivint Solar, Solmetric’s parent company.

The American solar installer’s new research and development team will be known as Vivint Solar Labs and will focus on PV installation instruments and software.

As part of the move Vivint Solar has confirmed that it will discontinue the SunEye 201, claiming all remaining inventory. In addition, its accompanying line of products will also be discontinued including: PV Designer, Solmetric Shade Training and the SunEye Extension Platform. The company explained that it took the decision because the “SunEye 201 had reached the end of its product lifecycle”.

Commenting on the move, Greg Butterfield, CEO of Vivint Solar said: "We look forward to further development of advanced photovoltaic installation technology that will significantly reduce our cost per watt and expedite solar installations for our customers."

Griff Thomas, managing director of GTEC Solutions – an importer of Solmetric products into the UK – expressed his disappointment at the loss of the SunEye range. He told Solar Power Portal: “The news that the Suneye range of products are being discontinued will be a real blow to the solar industry.

“Solmetric tools have been a significant player in determining potential shading and system performance for many years and this decision will be a great loss to the solar industry worldwide. Solmetric were particularly supportive of the UK market and GTEC worked extensively with them to develop a function that allowed the MCS shade path diagram to be created using the Suneye 210, this support showed how keen Solmetric were to develop products that were fit for the market they served.”

Thomas continued: “There are no other products that will immediately fill the gap left by this news but we hope that someone will step up-to the plate and develop the next generation of surveying equipment for the industry. GTEC will be actively looking to work with those suppliers to meet the needs of our existing customer base.”

2015年3月4日星期三

One in 10 solar farms at risk of missing RO deadline

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Up to 10% of large-scale solar projects rushing to connect to the grid by March 31 could be at risk of missing out on renewable obligation funding, according to research carried out by business rescue specialist, McTear Williams & Wood.

The company warns that developers struggling to meet the April renewable obligation deadline for solar projects over 5MW will result in business failures.

McTear Williams & Wood explains that projects which fail to connect to the grid in time to receive RO support will be forced to apply for funding under the Contracts for Difference (CfD) regime which offers no guarantee of subsidy as contracts are awarded on an auction basis.

The company adds that “no investor” will be interested in these solar farms that fail for RO support without a CfD contract behind it, something that will put many developers in financial difficulty. The company also forecasts that capital values will be around 20% less under the CfD regime compared to the RO.

Commenting on the research, Andrew McTear of McTear Williams & Wood said: “Over the past couple of years we have seen several high profile failures with developers unable to complete projects ahead of scheduled subsidy reductions. That has triggered onerous penalties which have driven some into insolvency. This time it is likely to be a lot worse.”

The previous drop in RO support from 2 to 1.6ROCs saw McTear & Williams & Wood appointed as administrator for SAG Solar UK who failed to connect the 5MW Ford Farm in time. The company managed to bring in new financial backers which enabled the project to continue, with the project now operating successfully.

McTear added: “We expect there will be a number of players in difficulty in the run up to the March deadline. Many developers seem to have been over-ambitious in what they can deliver and face onerous penalties for failure.”
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2015年3月2日星期一

LG Solar appoints Bob Mills UK solar sales manager

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LG solar to establish a strategy to educate the market about the exciting opportunities in the industry
“The pace of change is fast in the British solar PV market at the moment. There is increasing market demand and, compared to more mature markets such as Germany, there is considerable potential. With so many customers, businesses and homeowners, we need to work with installers and distributors to build a solid network of solar panel providers and establish a strategy to educate the market about the exciting opportunities in the industry,” says Mills.
“Mills has excellent relationships with key distributors, partners and installers in the market already and we look forward to working with him to continue to strengthen our partnerships. He has all the tools and knowledge to further develop and grow LG Solar’s presence in the UK market,” said Sven Armbrecht, Area Sales Manager, LG Solar.
“It is our goal to educate the market about the new high-efficiency solar panels that are avaialble now and make a joint effort to offer the best renewable energy solutions to corporate and residential customers.”
As a successful sales manager with more than 10 years of experience and a background in engineering, Mills brings a broad knowledge to his role, having worked on the Channel tunnel project and developing and implementing a UK strategic plan for SCHOTT. Having worked in the US for three years, Mills also has considerable international experience in the PV industry.
Bob is going to take over the role from Sven Armbrecht who will take on new responsibilities, developing the solar PV market in Germany, Austria and Eastern Europe and also become responsible for LG’s recently introduced LG Solar Installer Program.

2015年3月1日星期日

100MW PV Plant Connected to Grid in China’s Hubei Province


Maashan town in central China’s Hubei province has successfully connected a 100MW solar photovoltaic power plant to the local power grid, as the area, best known for its nuclear power plant and iron and steel mills, develops its renewable energy capabilities.

A total of RMB870 million was invested in the project, the largest PV project in Hubei, and is estimated to be completed in March 2015. The project will be able to generate around 120 million kWh of power a year, earning revenues of RMB120 million and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 38,500 and coal consumption by 14,800 tons.

Local government officials hope the project will act as a catalyst to spur the development of the PV and new energy industries in the region, as well as help alleviate regular power shortages.