Valos Solar Ventures continue to tie up the loose ends for its 20MW SKIC Solar 1 project; most recently with the signing of a 20-year PPA with Pacific Gas & Electric. The solar project, located near Bakersfield, California, is expected to receive approval from the California Public Utility Commission in October, with construction starting no later than August 2013.
With plans to achieve a 100MW pipeline in 2012, Martifer Solar USA has reported a success at its 460kW system in Breckenridge, Colorado. The company claims the arrays have been consistently performing at an average of 10% above expectations since their commissioning in January.
Q-Cells North America has recently completed a total of 108MW PV projects in North America. It built a 69MW PV project in Ontario, Canada and several PV projects in California, US, which have a total capacity of 39MW.
Hawaiian solar company RevoluSun Solar Corporation is showcasing its RiSE Software Suite at North America’s largest solar event, Solar Power International, which is currently underway until September 13, in Orlando, Florida, US.
Bigger is always better when referring to the US and this is also becoming increasingly applicable to solar modules. At Solar Power International 2012, a number of manufacturers have launched 300 watt (W) plus modules that are specifically catering for the booming utility-scale market.
In response to the solar industry's ever-increasing pressure to drive down system costs, companies Ampt, KACO New Energy, LTi REEnergy and REFUsol have announced the launch of the HDPV (High Definition PV) Alliance. The HDPV Alliance will leverage open technology standards to optimize the design and deployment of inverters, cabling, combiners and associated labour costs to deliver a lower total system cost and higher performance. Companies that join the Alliance are able to offer differentiated value and make it easy for their customers to identify and source products featuring the HDPV advantage.
Allied Building Products, distributor of roofing materials, is now offering Siemens microinverters to solar contractors in the US, with stocking locations in Hawaii and New Jersey.
E.ON Climate & Renewables is heading to bigger pastures. The company advised that it is expanding its US solar operations and moving its global solar headquarters to San Francisco, California’s Financial District. EC&R expects for its relocation to be completed in October.
California’s Independent System Operator (ISO) confirmed that in recent weeks the state has reached and surpassed a major milestone – twice. Over 1,000MW of solar power were generated across the state setting new US records. ISO noted that the state’s recent heat wave helped propel California’s solar production.
A new initiative is being launched by micro-inverter pioneer, Enphase Energy to boost the use of its technology in commercial PV projects at SPI 2012. The new program includes cash rewards for installers undertaking commercial-scale PV projects.
