JinkoSolar has won the right to supply Premier Power Renewable Energy with 1.3MW of multi-crystalline solar modules during Q1 2011. The agreement sees JinkoSolar make significant inroads into the U.S. solar supply market for the first time and Premier Power add another high-profile name to its list of suppliers.
North Jersey Media Group has enlisted the help of KDC Solar to build a PV facility to power its Rockaway printing and packaging facility. With 20,400 panels, the plant will be among the largest in New Jersey and generate around 4.2 million kWh of electricity a year; construction work on the site will run from January to December, 2011.
On January 1, 2011, Oregon’s Department of Energy put new rules into effect, which have allowed for SolarCity to offer its first residential solar lease in the State. As of the first of this year, Oregon residents who lease their solar systems are able to receive the residential tax credit (RETC), which was previously only offered to customers who had purchased their system. Since the credits cannot be passed onto SolarCity, the company will allow its customers to postpone the remaining system cost that is not covered by the lease payments until the customer receives their RETC.
Plutonic Power and GE Energy Financial Services have agreed to buy three of First Solar’s power plants in Ontario, Canada. Permitting for the projects, which have a combined capacity of 50MW, is expected to take place this spring and construction scheduled to start in June.
Ceradyne has completed its acquisition of VIOX, a specialty glass company based in Seattle, Washington. Over the past few years VIOX has seen around 70% of its sales come from solar glass products, which have been specifically formulated for polycrystalline silicon solar PV applications. Ceradyne bought VIOX with a US$27 million cash payment at closing, which also includes a post-closing adjustment in two months. Additionally, conditional payment of up to US$22 million may be paid if VIOX reaches certain sales diversification and earnings targets over a 30-month period after the closing.
CIGSSe photovoltaic module manufacturer Stion said it will build a new production facility in Mississippi as part of an incentive agreement with the state that includes a $75 million loan and other tax and training incentives. The project, which will be the first thin-film solar panel factory in Mississippi, will deliver more than 1000 jobs and $500 million of investment over the next six years.
The German module manufacturer, Sovello, has now received official accreditation to supply its modules in the U.K., Australia and Ireland as well as in Florida and California in the U.S. The certificates from the Australian Clear Energy Council (CEC), the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), the British BRE Global, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), and Go Solar California were issued in Q4 2010.
NuGen Capital Management and KDC Solar have come together for the formation of a joint venture, which will aim to develop, construct, own and operate commercial-scale behind-the-meter PV solar installations in New Jersey. The projects will range in size from 1MW to 10MW, with the first project being installed on White Rose Food’s distribution warehouse in Carteret, New Jersey.
Xtreme Power and Xcel Energy will cooperatively install a 1MW solar system at the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) in order to gather operational data for energy storage combined with solar energy systems. Xtreme’s utility-scale energy storage Dynamic Power Resources (DPR) system will be used on the project to conduct various energy storage and grid asset functions, which include output smoothing, time shifting and forecast error mitigation.
NuGen Capital Management and KDC Solar have selected Solar Power to develop their joint venture: the White Rose distribution warehouse rooftop installation in Carteret, New Jersey. The 5MW rooftop system will be designed, engineered, and constructed by Solar Power which, under its engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with NuGen and KDC Solar, will also monitor and service the solar plant once it is completed.
