Ikea continues to make its stores more sustainable. The company has connected a 1,063kW PV system at its store in Paramus, New Jersey to the grid. The system is 132,000 square feet in size and utilizes 4,620 PV panels. This is Ikea’s 17th solar power installation in the US.
Ikea does not have any PPAs but operates every store’s system itself. Just like with former projects, REC Solar was responsible for the design, development and installation of the system.
Zentric has announced that is has withdrawn from an EPC agreement with Matinee Energy. The agreement, dated January 7, 2012, was for the provision of EPC services for a 20MW solar power plant in Benson, Arizona.
Cogenra Solar and SunWater Solar have installed the largest roof-top PV system in the US on the roof of Kendall-Jackson’s Kittyhawk winery in Windsor, California. The 241kW installation uses 96 solar modules in a hybrid thermal and PV system.
National Solar Power has entered an agreement with solar manufacturer SolarWorld, in which SolarWorld will supply National Solar Power with several millions of solar panels for the company’s projects in Florida. The aim is to build projects totaling 700MW.
Jürgen Becker, state secretary of the German Federal ministry of the environment, pointed out at the Helios Project conference in Athens, that there are several opportunities to accelerate the development of solar energy in order to create new jobs and economic growth in a time of crisis.
Pvillion’s newly constructed electric car charging station, located in Pflugersville, Texas, uses a solar sail with PV laminates provided by United Solar. The charging station's solar sail generates 1600W of energy.
Clenergy, PV mounting system manufacturer, has moved its European headquarters to Cologne. The offices were formerly located in Frankfurt but the company decided on the strategic move to Cologne in order to optimize logistics and human resource planning. The company’s European warehouse will also be relocated from Southern Germany to the new location in Cologne.
French PV module manufacturer KDG Energy has begun the production of China Sunergy’s modules in France. The two companies have entered a memorandum of understanding in 2011, stating that China Sunergy (CSUN) will provide components for solar modules that KDG Energy will manufacture under CSUN’s brand name. KDG Energy officially commenced production of the modules in mid March 2011.
The German Bundestag has voted in favour of cuts in solar incentives and approved new guidelines for renewable energies. With a majority of votes from the coalition, the law to change regulation regarding renewable energies (17/8877) passed the Bundestag on Thursday.
SAG Solarstrom’s sale of the 48MW Serenissima PV plant in Italy to an unnamed European investor will be concluded shortly, the company has announced. The completion of the sale was delayed by contingent high administrative efforts.
