Steed Technology recently completed the full acquisition of outstanding stock for Applied Technology Specialists (ATSI). Steed has confirmed that manufacturing of all products will remain in Northern California, while research and development will continue in Oklahoma. Both companies will now operate under the Steed name.
Princeton Power Systems (PPS) has opened its new Princeton, New Jersey facility, which will manufacture inverters and energy storage systems for the alternative energy divisions. In addition to housing PPS’s military-qualified variable speed drive product, the 10,000 square foot facility contains floors that are qualified for assembling 90” inverter cabinets. The new facility boasts various labs, including an inverter test lab, a printed circuit board lab and a variable speed drive test and assembly lab.
Solar Integrated Technologies and ContourGlobal have finished work on all four of the thin-film PV projects they agreed to build for Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH). The 905kWP Marcianise, 1249kWp Nogara, 622kWp Oricola and 472 kWp Monticchio plants will generate around 3,330MWh of electricity per annum.
Parity Solar has enlisted the help of China National Building Materials (CNBM) to expand the production capacity of its existing PV module manufacturing facility in Zhenjiang, China.
Kisco has agreed to become Tera-Barrier Films’ exclusive distributor in the Asia-Pacific region after making a strategic investment in the Singapore-based company. Kisco made the investment during Tera’s Series A investment round and its funding will help Tera’s attempts to bring its moisture-resistant films for solar cells to market.
The U.S. Department of Energy has made a conditional commitment of a loan guarantee worth up to $967 million for the 290MW (AC) Agua Caliente solar PV farm, located on 2400 acres of former agricultural land site east of Yuma, AZ. Preliminary construction on the site has begun, with the first electricity expected to be produced later this year or early 2012. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2014.
Solar3D has revealed the details for its new solar cell and plans to have developed a working prototype by the end of 2011. The three-dimensional micro-photovoltaic cell is inspired by light management techniques used in fiber optic devices and Solar3D claim it has the potential to dramatically change the economics of solar energy.
The latest Solarbuzz ‘PV Equipment Quarterly Report’ highlights that the fourth quarter of 2010 saw a further 1.25GW of quarterly solar manufacturing capacity come online. According to the market research firm, annualized c-Si cell and thin-film module capacity increased by a further 11.5GW, in 2010. Equipment spending grew for the sixth consecutive quarter to reach US$2.9 billion in the fourth quarter. At the end of the year, 20 equipment suppliers to have order backlogs in excess of US$100 million, with the majority of these orders scheduled for shipment during the first half of 2011.
Southwest Solar Technologies (SST) has completed the first stage of its solar park in Phoenix, Arizona. The focal point of the 18-acre facility is a 75-foot wide solar dish, which plays a key role in SST’s solar dish turbine technology.
SolarPrint has formally introduced its dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) technology, which is combined with wireless sensors to yield better efficiencies on commercial applications. Per the company, its new DSSC technology imitates photosynthesis and has the ability to collect ambient or diffused light, despite the incident angle, which allows for a higher power output.
