SolarWorld advised that with the sale of its shares in the South Korea joint venture module plant, the company would be focusing on expanding and improving its module production sites in Germany and the US. Financial details regarding the sale of its shares were not released, but the company advised that its Saxony, California and Oregon production facilities are undergoing expansion in order to meet growing demands. Combined, the three plants are expected to have a total production capacity of more than 1GW by the end of the year.
Leading French renewable energy producer Fonroche Energie has secured a €52-million credit line with a banking syndicate led by Credit Agricole. This finance will help Fonroche to increase its green portfolio, an expansion plan highlighted by the construction of 20MW of solar greenhouses in France.
Deutsche Bank’s 7.56MW solar park in the southeast Italian commune of Torre Santa Susanna has been officially opened. Torre Santa Susanna is one of the largest tracking solar systems in Europe and is powered by 32,202 Sanyo’s HIT solar modules fitted on Ideematec safetrack technology.
German laser system supplier 4JET has won the Deutscher Gründerpreis Award 2011. The award, sponsored by Porsche, German magazine Stern, ZDF Television and the Sparkasse Banking Group, was presented to 4JET for not just its exceptional financial growth over the past 12 months but also for creating a business model that promises further growth in the years ahead.
Suntech Power’s Just-Roof building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solution has been approved by French certification body CEIAB (Comité d'Evaluation de l'Intégration au Bâti). CEIAB is France’s official evaluation committee for all BIPV products, and its endorsement sees Just Roof gain eligibility for the country’s highest available feed-in-tariff.
Payom Solar has formed a new subsidiary in Turbigo, Milan to help manage the company’s rapidly-expanding Italian client base. The subsidiary, which has been named Solar Energy Italia SAS, has already secured its first major order – a 4MW roof system for a Danish investment group valued at €13 million.
M+W Group has established a new subsidiary in Dresden: M+W Integrated Solutions, which will cater to the high-tech service business in Europe. The new subsidiary will support its customers with services such as plant reconstruction and extension, installation, commissioning and service for high-tech equipment and certification and acceptance testing.
Solar-Konzept has started building work on its 28MW solar park in Giebelstadt, Germany. The project, located on the site of a former NATO airport, will be equipped with 120,000 REC modules, making it one of the largest in the whole of Bavaria.
Etrion and Phoenix Solar are joining forces to build a 2.6MW PV system in Nettuno, Italy. The plant is scheduled to be completed by the end of August and consequently will not be affected by the changes introduced under the recently-passed Conto Energia IV bill.
iGen Energy has finished the first phase of its 96kW rooftop solar installation on a production facility in Buxton, UK. The project will be the first in the country to feature Q-Cells’ Q.SMART thin-film modules and is being built for cleaning chemicals manufacturer Selden Research.
