Abengoa Solar will build two 50MW solar thermal plants in Extremadura, Spain with the help of the Japanese trading company, Itochu. Construction work on the Logrosán plants has already begun and they will be operational at some stage in 2012.
SunEdison and Arizona Public Service (APS) will join forces to build a utility-scale PV solar power plant close to the Prescott Regional Airport in Arizona. The 10MW facility is scheduled for grid connection in autumn 2011 and will generate in excess of 25 million kWh of electricity in its first year.
Despatch Industries has finished 2010 with total sales figures of US$200 million – the best year-end results in the company’s 108-year history. Despatch’s Solar Business Group was responsible for the lion’s share of this number after capitalising on the increasing demand for cell-processing equipment in Asia.
PVA TePla has appointed Dr. Arno Knebelkamp as its chief technology officer and temporary deputy CEO. Knebelkamp, who was previously CEO at Vestolit GmbH, will also join the company’s management board.
SunPower has closed its €195.2 million solar bond issuance for its 44MW Montalto di Castro park in Italy. The proceeds will be used to fund further development of the facility, which is scheduled to be sold before the end of the year.
Chevron Energy Solutions, Oceanic Time Warner Cable and Tioga Energy have started construction work on a joint venture at Oceanic's Mililani Tech Park. When completed, the 856KW facility will be the largest solar canopy project on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
The European Commission has awarded Sovello AG €15.5 million of regional investment aid to help build its latest String Ribbon solar-module production facility in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany. When completed, the entire project will have received investment totalling €147 million and created 320 jobs in the region.
SolarReserve's 150MW Crossroads Solar Energy Project has received Certificates of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) from the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee. The project and its associated transmission line, which will utilize Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne's molten salt, power tower technology, is located close to the town of Gila Bend in Maricopa County, Arizona and has the potential to generate 450,000MWh of electricity per year.
Solon SE has sold its Swiss subsidiary, Solon Inverters AG, to Delta Energy Systems. The companies have chosen not to disclose the details of the sale, which is the latest stage in Solon SE's plan to concentrate resources on key markets and products.
NRG Solar has purchased First Solar's 290MW Agua Caliente solar plant in Yuma County, Arizona. When it is completed in 2014, Agua Caliente is expected to become the world's largest operational PV facility and supply electricity for more than 225,000 homes in the region.
