NEXTracker receives FINAME certification for solar PV trackers in Brazil

 

NEXTracker (Fremont, California, U.S.), a Flex company, on May 18^th, 2016 announced that it has achieved FINAME accreditation in Brazil which will enable the Company to deliver its advanced solar PV trackers to Brazilian projects under attractive financing arrangements.

FINAME accreditation, granted by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), indicates that a company has produced a product that is compliant with BNDES local content and local manufacturing processes criteria.

FINAME facilitates financing under special terms and conditions, enabling project developers to access local development bank credit lines.

With a growing Brazil presence, NEXTracker, co-located with Flex’s manufacturing center in Sorocaba, São Paulo – and supported by over 9,000 Brazilian Flex employees – is well positioned to supply its advanced NX Horizon trackers to solar developers and engineering, procurement and construction firms (EPCs) throughout Brazil.

Tracker materials produced locally include, besides key structural items, NEXTracker’s advanced self-powered controller, manufactured and tested at Flex.

“NEXTracker is thrilled to receive FINAME accreditation. Combined with our local sales and operations, this solidifies our ability to deliver significant volumes of our advanced solar trackers in Brazil,” said NEXTracker CEO Dan Shugar.

“Brazil represents a boundless new frontier for solar deployment. In addition to serving this important market, we’re delighted to be contributing to the Brazilian economy by adding new, high-quality solar jobs.”

Brazil aims at 7 GW of installed PV capacity by 2024

Brazil’s federal energy planning authority (EPE) recently doubled its forecast for installed photovoltaic capacity to 7 GW by 2024, owing to the country’s initial solar auction results.

BNDES’ FINAME accreditation encourages companies to service the region with local products, which creates more availability and scalability for parts inventory and technical support.   

source:http://www.solarserver.com

U.S. DOE announces USD 10 million for national solar training programs

 

On May 17^th, 2016, the U.S. Energy Department announced five additional military bases will join Solar Ready Vets, a solar jobs training program that prepares service members for careers in the solar industry when they leave active duty.

The Department is also awarding USD 10 million to 10 new projects through its Solar Training and Education for Professionals (STEP) funding program, which was created to help meet the solar industry’s growing demand for well-qualified, highly skilled installers and other industry-related professionals.

“Jobs in the dynamic solar energy sector have grown more than 20 percent per year for the past several years,” said Deputy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.

“At DOE, we are committed to training the solar workforce of the future through our partnership with the Department of Defense, the solar industry, and community colleges around the country.”

These solar energy training efforts build on the success of the SunShot Initiative’s Solar Instructor Training Network, which has trained 1,100 certified solar instructors and provided hands-on solar workforce training to more than 30,000 students nationwide through our nation’s community colleges.

Today the U.S. solar industry is a leader in hiring military veterans –employing nearly 17,000 veterans to date – and it is committed to employing 50,000 veterans by 2020.

Connecting a skilled veteran workforce with a growing solar industry

The SunShot Initiative's Solar Ready Vets program trains our nation’s skilled military service members to succeed in the solar energy industry by training them to size and install solar energy systems, safely connect them to the grid, and understand and comply with local building codes.

This program, enabled by the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge initiative, allows exiting military personnel to pursue civilian job training, employment skills training, apprenticeships and internships up to 6 months prior to their separation date.

Training American workers to build a vibrant workforce

To help meet the President’s goal of training 75,000 solar workers by 2020, the 10 new STEP-funded training projects will advance America’s solar workforce by training technicians for solar careers.

One awardee under the STEP program, The Solar Foundation, will serve to support Solar Ready Vets and the five new bases as the national administrator of the training program. 

 source: http://www.solarserver.com

Conergy to build 26 MW solar PV plant in Japan

 

Conergy Japan K.K., the Japanese subsidiary of Conergy, a leading German photovoltaic (PV) solution and service provider, on May 18^th, 2016 announced that they have reached an agreement with Global Power Synergy Public Company Limited (GPSC), a Thai company, and Girana Anuman-Rajadhon, Owner of GA ECO Group to build a 25.88 MWp ground mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Ichinoseki, Iwate prefecture.

With the new agreement, Conergy Japan will function as the lead EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) service provider for the PV plant.

Conergy Japan obtained its construction license in December last year enabling it to provide full turnkey projects in Japan. This is the largest solar PV project to date for Conergy Japan.

The new plant will produce 28,639 MWh of solar power per year. Project completion is scheduled for the end of 2017. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

3.9 MW PSEG Lawrence Livermore Solar Center dedicated

 

PSEG Solar Source (Newark, N.J., U.S.), the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and juwi solar Inc. (JSI) on May 17^th, 2016 dedicated the PSEG Lawrence Livermore Solar Center.

Approximately 6,300 MWh of solar power expected annually

The solar center occupies 10 acres in the northwest corner of the Laboratory site, which is about 40 miles east of San Francisco. The solar farm is expected to generate approximately 6,300 MWh of solar power annually and represents the DOE/NNSA's largest purchase of solar energy from an onsite facility.

It has 12,720 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels with a capacity of 3.9 megawatts-dc (3.3 megawatt-ac). The Western Area Power Administration has a 20-year contract to purchase the electricity the solar farm produces.

At its peak, the solar facility provides about 5 percent of the electricity used by the Laboratory – a premier research institution with the mission of applying science and technology to national security.

“The Lawrence Livermore Solar Center will provide the DOE with cost-effective solar power for years to come, a great accomplishment in support of the Administration's climate vision for our country,” said Christine Harada, Federal Chief Sustainability Officer for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

PSEG Solar Source operates 13 facilities in nine states with a total capacity of 152 MWs and has another four solar facilities under construction, which will expand its portfolio to 315 MWs.

JSI was the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the Livermore project and operates the facility for PSEG Solar Source.

“Our partnership with PSEG Solar Source has been tremendously successful in developing resources that will provide emission-free energy for decades,” said Mike Martin, juwi's president and CEO. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

sPower awarded 20-year solar PV PPAs in California for 60 MW-ac

 

Renewable energy provider sPower (Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.) on May 17^th, 2016 announced that Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) recently awarded the company 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) contracts for three new solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in California.

The three solar PV facilities totaling 60 MW-ac, named Bayshore A, B and C, located in Lancaster, California, will be constructed and commissioned in 2017.

When fully operational, the Bayshore PV cluster will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power more than 11,000 Californian homes.

“We are excited to expand our relationship with PG&E to a total of more than 100 megawatts of solar, helping PG&E to achieve their goals of delivering safe, reliable, clean energy to their customers,” said Ryan Creamer, sPower CEO.

sPower projects put hundreds of people to work, create real and lasting benefits for local communities and deliver renewable energy to California homes at competitive prices, the company notes.

California renewable portfolio standard policy requires utilities to source a third of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Earlier this year, PG&E announced that they are well ahead of schedule, having already reached nearly 30 percent – maintaining the utility’s position as a national front-runner in greenhouse gas reductions. 

source:http://www.solarserver.com

Start-up Sol Voltaics wins USD 17 million financing to accelerate commercialization of nanowire solar PV technology

 

Advanced materials start-up Sol Voltaics (Lund, Sweden) has raised a record round of USD 17 million in new equity investment and grant funding to accelerate commercialization of its nanowire solar photovoltaic (PV) film tandem-layer technology.

The Series C funding round was led by new investor Riyadh Valley Company (RVC), the venture capital investment arm of King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Long-term investors Umoe, FAM, Industrifonden, and Nano Future Invest demonstrated their continuing commitment to Sol Voltaics by contributing to the USD 12.5 million in equity. In addition, the Swedish Energy Agency and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program backed the company with over USD 4.5 million in additional grants.

Alignment of gallium-arsenide nanowires in a thin film.

The new investment will bolster Sol Voltaics’ efforts to bring its nanowire-based solar efficiency boosting film to market. The company recently announced a major technological breakthrough with the successful alignment of gallium-arsenide nanowires in a thin film.

When integrated in a tandem-junction architecture on mainstream crystalline silicon panels, Sol Voltaics’ nanomaterials innovations will enable PV module efficiencies of greater than 27% - a 50% enhancement in energy generation compared to today’s solar panels, the company emphasizes.

Patented technology for producing nanowire solar cells and films in a cost-effective manner

In addition to the nanowire alignment breakthrough, Sol Voltaics has progressed through several generations of development of its “Aerotaxy” technology over the past few quarters. This patented process, originating out of Lund University in Sweden, is the foundation for producing nanowire solar cells and films in a cost-effective manner, a key parameter in the commercialization process. 

“There is a tremendous amount of interest in a number of competing tandem-layer technologies designed to significantly boost the efficiency of existing solar modules,” said Erik Smith, CEO of Sol Voltaics.

“Following our recent nanowire alignment breakthrough and several other critical technological advances, this latest investment from new and long-term partners reflects the confidence they have in Sol Voltaics’ ability to become the premier commercial solution for stacked tandem-junction solar modules.”

Largest solar-technology funding in Europe over the past 18 months

Apricum – The Cleantech Advisory acted as financial advisor to Sol Voltaics in the transaction. According to Apricum, the capital raise represents the largest solar-technology funding round in Europe over the past 18 months.  

source: http://www.solarserver.com

SkyPower, BYD to submit joint bid for 750 MW of solar PV development in India

SkyPower Global (Toronto, 

Ontario, Canada), a developer and owner of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, on May 13^th, 2016 announced it has entered into an agreement with BYD Company Ltd. (Guangdong, China) to submit a joint bid in the upcoming tenders for solar power generation capacity and energy storage of up to 750 MW in India.

The joint venture will draw upon SkyPower’s vast global experience and its proprietary development platform to develop solar power solutions in India at truly market-competitive rates, reads the press release.

The agreement was signed during the opening ceremony of the China-Canada Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference in the presence of Hu Chunhua, Party Secretary of China’s Guangdong Province. The conference, hosted by British Columbia Premier Christy Clark, was aimed at strengthening the socio-cultural and economic ties between China and Canada.

Solar implementation strategy in India based on PV and battery storage technology

“SkyPower, an industry leader in the development of large-scale solar energy projects, is excited to work with BYD, a global leader in battery technology, to bring together a highly-competitive bid for low-carbon, clean technology solutions,” said Charles Cohen, SkyPower’s Chief Commercial Officer, Commercial Strategy and Development.

BYD’s battery storage technology, in concert with SkyPower’s experience in developing utility-scale solar projects, will enable a significant solar implementation strategy in India, the partners emphasizes.

“One of the key components of our trade missions and ongoing relationship with our sister province of Guangdong is promoting cooperation between clean technology companies, like SkyPower in Canada and BYD in China,” said Premier Christy Clark.

“It creates opportunity on both sides of the Pacific, and encourages the innovative use of clean technologies to support the transition to a lower carbon economy, and a cleaner environment for us all.”

BYD is headquartered in Guangdong, China’s most populated province, accounting for more than twenty-five percent of China’s foreign trade.

“BYD is the global leader in reliable, efficient battery storage and solar technology, and we are committed to providing affordable, sustainable energy solutions that not only help countries recover economically but also help reduce air pollution caused by traditional, dirty fossil fuels,” stated Stella Li, Senior Corporate Vice President of BYD.

The Government of Guangdong continues to invest in clean energy mass transit solutions to help address the environmental objectives of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan.

source: http://www.solarserver.com