Category Archives: RECHARGE News
Siemens to build solar-thermal plants across Israel
Arava, a subsidiary of Israel’s Global Sun Power, says the capital injection will allow it to begin work building the country’s first generation of large-scale solar-thermal farms in the desert regions between the Dead and Red Seas. The two companies will build an initial portfolio of PV arrays totalling 40MW. The first 4.9MW project is [...]
Energy Conversion Devices Reports Loss, Stock At Five Year Low (ENER)
The company, based in Rochester Hills, Michigan, outside Detroit, says the loss reflects $13.6m for one-time charges tied to certain overhead costs, restructuring expenses, an inventory write-off and a sharp decline in commercial demand for solar panels. Project financing constraints also continued. Fiscal fourth quarter revenue was $51.4m, down 38% from $82.4m a year earlier. [...]
Suntech CEO Admits to Selling Solar Panels Below Cost To Gain Market Share in U.S.
Chinese solar giant Suntech Power Holdings is selling solar photovoltaic panels in the US below its costs for materials, assembly and shipping, the company’s founder and chief executive, Shi Zhengrong, says in a New York Times story. Solar module prices are expected to tumble as much as 25% to $2.25-$2.30 per watt by year end [...]
CPS, Juwi Team Up in San Antonio Solar Plant
CPS, the largest US municipally owned electric company, and Juwi Solar, based in Boulder, Colorado, estimate Blue Wing will provide power for 1,800 homes in and around the seventh largest US city. Plans call for Juwi to install 214,500 solar photovoltaic modules, which will generate an estimated 25,345 megawatt-hours of electricity a year. Juwi Solar, [...]
UMC creates new solar-energy division
On 12 August, after weeks of local media speculation, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TMSC) unwrapped plans to invest $50m to establishing a foothold in Asia’s frothy solar industry. Less than two weeks later, smaller rival United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) has essentially matched the solar ante, echoing its intention to diversify beyond semiconductors. “UMC’s knowledge and [...]
Tessera finds Partner for Arizona Solar Concentrator Project
Maricopa Solar, the name of the joint venture, will be the first commercial-scale solar facility built using the SunCatcher concentrating solar thermal technology, manufactured by Stirling Energy Systems (SES). The project will consist of 60 SunCatcher dishes which use precision mirrors attached to a parabolic dish to concentrate the sun’s energy and convert it into [...]
DuPont to invest $120m on solar products expansion
The investment will increase production capacity for the monomer and resin used in producing Teldar films by 50%. Tedlar films serve are used as the backsheet component for photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. DuPont says that site selections for the Tedlar capacity expansion are complete, and construction has begun for new monomer and resin facilities in [...]
Meridian buys into solar with Cleantech America
“This acquisition enables us to extend our expertise into the US market to implement renewable energy projects in California,” says Meridian chief executive Tim Lusk. “Moving into the US represents a very important step for Meridian and for the first time, adds solar to our renewable portfolio, “ Lusk adds. The experience will be used [...]
Solon losses lead to job cuts, reduced workers’ hours
The loss for the Berlin-based firm follows on the heels of an operating profit (Ebit) of €31.5m in the first half of 2008. Revenues tumbled from €410.6m last year to €119.4m – a drop of 71%. “While demand for solar modules picked up noticeably in the second quarter, the market for solar power station technology [...]