Since the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a contract between Petra Solar and PSE&G last July for 40MW of power through Petra’s SunWave solar system, AT&T has announced that the solar units will be running on its wireless network. Petra’s utility grade SunWave UP series operates on streetlight and utility poles and connects to the grid’s secondary voltage lines on the pole for better power quality and grid management.
Borrego Solar Systems has received US$20 million in financing from the U.S. Bank and East West Bank for the realization of the company’s San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) solar project, which consists of a 2.8MW system in nine solar arrays over six locations at the SDCCD campuses. This is the first solar energy project to be financed under Borrego’s power purchase agreement.
Premier Power Renewable Energy has teamed with PUMA North America, lessee of Brookvale International, to build 1.9MW of solar electric generating capacity at PUMA’s Carson and Torrance, California, warehouse and distribution facilities in Southern California.
Following the acquisition of Etimex Solar’s Vistasolar EVA product line in June, Solutia will be expanding its Suzhou, China, operations for the inclusion of Vistasolar ethylene vinylacetate (EVA) encapsulants. The expansion includes a new building for several new EVA production lines and infrastructure for any future additional capacity needed. The lines will be able to manufacture 2.35m wide sheets with the first production line scheduled for completion in June 2011.
Premier Power Renewable Energy has opened the doors of its newest office in Southern California to serve the new and existing customers of the region. “California is one of the largest markets in America for solar electric power generation solutions, and to work more closely with potential and existing customers in this high growth market we've opened an office in the heart of Orange County,” said Dean Marks, CEO of Premier Power.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a power purchase agreement between Solar Millennium, Berkeley and Southern California Edison (SCE) for two 242MW solar power plants planned in California. The agreement regulates SCE’s purchase of electricity produced by the facilities for 20 years from the start of operations. Construction is expected to conclude, for one power plant, at the end of this year with initial operation starting for the plants in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
Calisolar recently received IEC 61730 and IEC 61215 certification from TÜV Rheinland for modules built with Calisolar cells. The 60-cell modules passed all tests for their certification for proven demonstration to withstand in performance, durability, efficiency, stability and safety over extended periods of time. The certified modules produce up to 250W using Calisolar’s multicrystalline solar cells with over 16% efficiency.
Suntech Power Holding’s CFO and director, Amy Yi Zhang, will soon start her newest role with the company as VP in charge of Suntech’s strategic project finance initiatives. She has served as CFO and director since 2005 and 2007 respectively.
Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) has created a $5 million industry-university partnership for the development of renewable energy systems and technologies for development into the marketplace. Founding industry members include ABB, Applied Materials, Bosch, First Solar, IBM, Nexans and Tokyo Electron.
Solon has locked a contract with Rivermoor Energy and Fischbach & Moore, on behalf of the National Grid, to supply its solar modules for the 1MW solar PV project in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Construction has been started by Rivermoor Energy and Fischbach & Moore for a scheduled completion date sometime this fall. The project will generate 1,016kW of direct current power per year. Around 3,696 Solon ground-mounted panels were installed over five acres.
