Arizona Public Service (APS) is expanding upon its AZ Sun program with the development of a new 17MW PV facility in Gila Bend, Arizona. With the Paloma Solar Plant, APS’s AZ Sun program will have committed 83MW of solar capacity out of the 100MW it aims to finance and own upon the program’s completion, which is intended for sometime in 2014. First Solar was contracted by APS to design and build the Paloma Solar Plant and expects to have it online by September.
Scatec Solar has signed on with Fotowatio Renewable Ventures and Italgen to build a 6.16MWp solar project in a former quarry close to Guiglia, Italy. The solar installation should be connected to the grid by this fall and generate over 7.5 million kWh yearly. The companies did not release the financial terms for their agreement nor any information about the 26,000 modules or BOS that will be used for the installation.
Project developer, relatio has selected Satcon Technology to provide 39 PowerGate Plus 500 kilowatt (kW) solar inverters for a 19.5MW solar park, dubbed Tauberlandpark.
Soltec Renewable Energies is calling the 6.7MW PV plant it plans to build with Shikun & Binui Solaria one of the largest in Israel. Construction on the PV project will begin this year in southern Israel at the old Timna Copper Mines. The solar project is part of the joint venture the two companies formed, which aims to construct 12MW of large-scale solar installations in Israel throughout 2011 and 2012.
Bisol has completed a 1MW rooftop solar power plant installation in the Koroška region, a northern part of Slovenia. Working with Intereuropa and Volksbank International the company began the PV system installation in November 2010 and, as noted during the system’s opening ceremony last week, was able to connect the solar project to the grid a month and a half later.
SkyPower and Fort William First Nation have signed an agreement that will see SkyPower construct a 10MW solar park on First Nation’s land in Thunder Bay, Ontario. This is the first Canadian large-scale solar project, and is said to be the only, that is being developed on Fort William First Nation’s reserve.
IC Sunshine, a division of Axio Power Holdings, has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Hawaiian Electric wherein IC Sunshine will sell the utility electric power from the soon to be constructed 5MW solar farm in Campbell Industrial Park on Oahu. The PPA is awaiting final approval from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, but sports a 20-year contract price that is fixed with slight annual increases.
Kyocera will supply 3MW of its multicrystalline silicon solar modules for two of Tohoku Electric Power’s upcoming developments in central Japan. Construction of the 2MW Shichigahama and 1MW Hachinohe plants will get underway this month and be completed in January 2012.
Southern California Edison (SCE) has signed a power purchase agreement with First Solar for its 250MW (AC) Silver State South plant. First Solar’s ground-mounted system, which will be located on 2,500 acres of public land near Primm, Nevada, will start generating electricity in 2014 and be fully operational in May 2017.
German PV equipment manufacturer Centrotherm has won the bidding to develop a major new solar plant in Algeria. Despite reports to contrary, Centrotherm has yet to sign a contract with the Algerian Government for the new system, which will be located 30km east of the capital city, Algiers.
