PV inverter supplier, Satcon Technology is realigning its business operations and significantly cutting operating expenses to reach breakeven mid-year. Europe and Canada business efforts are being scaled back, which includes the closure of its manufacturing facility in Ontario, Canada and an overall headcount reduction of 140 worldwide, or approximately 35%. Satcon will also stop production of its Solstice product line.
SAG Solarstrom has sold its 48MW Serenissima PV plant in Northern Italy to an unnamed institutional investor. The purchase contract, valued “in line with the market rate in the triple-digit million-euro range”, was signed on December 31, 2011 and is subject to the usual conditions precedent. Payment will be made to SAG Solarstrom sometime in Q1.
Weak pricing, especially on the spot market, has forced REC to reduce monocrystalline wafer production at its Glomfjord, Norway facility by 50%. The announcement comes soon after reducing multicrystalline wafer production at its facility in Herøya, Norway by 60% in late November, 2011. REC said that the temporary shutdown would affect approximately 65 employees at its Glomfjord facility.
Taiwan-based solar wafer producer, Green Energy Technology (GET) reported net sales for December 2011 of NT$880 million (US$29.05 million), down approximately 57%, compared to the same month in 2010. Total net sales for 2011 reached NT$18,615 million, (US$614.5 million) up 7.6% from 2010.
Activ Solar has finished the fifth and final construction phase of its 100MW Perovo Solar Power Station in Ukraine. This last development stage, completed on December 28, added a further 20MW to capacity, thus making the Perovo Europe's largest PV system.
Renewable energy project developer, juwi is looking for 40 apprentices as it prepares to expand operations in 2012 after a successful 2011, according to the company. The project developer is currently building a third office block at its headquarters in Wörrstadt, Germany, which is expected to house a total of 400 employees when the new office expansion is completed.
Daqo New Energy was named a 2011 China Cleantech Top 20 winner by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Tsing Capital. The award aims to recognize organizations in the cleantech sector in China that support the sustainable growth in the country.
Activ Solar has completed Phase IV of its Perovo Solar Power Station, adding a further 20MW to the system’s size. Perovo’s total capacity now stands at 80MW and with ramping up still ongoing – Activ Solar has yet to reveal the full size of the plant – it looks set to be one of the largest PV projects in Europe.
China Sunergy advised that it had shipped 1.59MW of its solar panels to Emotion Energy, which has partnered with Edison Energy to install solar panels for 117 houses in a residential rooftop project in Faifley, Scotland for the Knowes Housing Association Scotland. The PV project will allow 117 Knowes tenants to partake in the energy generated from the solar panels free of charge for 25 years. The solar project was installed prior to the change in FiT on December 12.
