The UK feed-in tariff rates have now been finalized, offering its residents a financial incentive for producing renewable energy. The government has confirmed the proposed rate, which will begin to take effect from April 1, 2010.
Martifer Solar will construct two PV plants in Southern Italy producing a combined total of 6MW a year. A local company controlled by Infrastructure will manage the two facilities.
Kyocera will supply 3MW of solar modules to the Omuta solar power plant in Japan, designed by Kyushu Electric Power and constructed by Nishinippon Plant Engineering and Construction (NPC).
Trina Solar has signed an agreement with ITEC of Germany to supply 40MW of PV modules during 2010. The deal calls for 18MW to be shipped in the first half of the year, with agreed prices for the first quarter.
Suniva and GS Battery will collaborate to develop solar-powered, grid-tied energy storage systems using private-label modules featuring high-efficiency monocrystalline-silicon cells from the photovoltaics manufacturer. The initial demonstration system will incorporate 30KW of PV panels and will be designed, engineered, and constructed by integrator First Century Energy at the battery company’s headquarters in Roswell, GA.
A joint venture called T-SEP has been formed on a 50-50 basis by Global EcoPower and T-Solar to develop solar projects in France, equalling 120MW over the next three years. T-Solar began production of its Applied Materials supplied a-Si thin film ‘SunFab’ line nearly a year ago and has an annual capacity of 45MW or 700,000 m2 of modules per year. The move is in response to what the companies claimed were attractive feed-in-tariffs in the country, which were released on January 12. The power plants to be planned and built will be insured by the German Allianz company. The T-Solar Group operates 28 photovoltaic parks in Spain.
Construction has started on a 24.5MW solar plant at a former military airport in the village of Schorfheide near Eberswalde, Germany, using 93,000 Suntech multicrystalline modules and inverters from SMA. General contractor for the €58 million project is solarhybrid and its partner, Enerparc. The project is expected to be completed by the end of April 2010.
In an expansion of its outsourcing strategy, BP Solar has signed a new deal with Jabil Circuit. The contract manufacturer will assemble BP's photovoltaic modules for the North American market in Jabil’s plant in Chihuahua, Mexico. Production will begin on the manufacturing line in the second quarter of this year; initial capacity will be 45MW, with the possibility for expansion as demand increases, the companies said.
Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA said that it has confirmed that its UD5 and UJ6 photovoltaic modules can be installed near salt water. After extensive factory testing, the company found that its crystalline-silicon panels maintained a sufficient level of insulation from the corrosive effect of salt air and other aspects of the ocean front environment to maintain the power output specifications included in the warranty.
