This agreement is an expansion of a $100 million supply agreement between the companies announced in February 2012.

"Materials are critical to help ensure our solar panels provide superior power output for their 25-year expected lifetime, or longer," said Liansheng Miao, chairman and chief executive officer, Yingli Green Energy.

"The agreement we have signed with DuPont assures our supply of high-quality materials that have proven performance and our continued collaboration on further technological advances to optimize the efficiency and durability of our products. Yingli Green Energy has long been committed to making solar affordable for everyone with superior quality products."

Under the terms of the agreement, Yingli China will purchase materials including DuPont Solamet photovoltaic metallization pastes that help boost the power output of solar cells and DuPont Tedlar polyvinyl fluoride film that has been proven to protect solar panels even in the harshest environmental conditions.

The companies also will extend their collaboration to include the installation of a solar energy plant at a DuPont facility in China using panels made with advanced materials from DuPont, and will potentially expand installation of similar plants to additional DuPont sites or other commercial projects in China.

Yingli China and DuPont further agreed to extend their collaboration on technology to develop the next generation of high-efficiency solar cells and modules, and on co-marketing activities.

"This agreement further expands our strategic relationship, and we look forward to working even more closely with Yingli to deliver superior quality solar panels that will continue to accelerate the adoption of solar energy to meet the growing global demand for energy," said David B. Miller, president, DuPont Electronics and Communications.

]]> Wed, 12 JUN 2013 00:49:14 AEST Boulder CO (SPX) Jun 10, 2013 - National leading solar garden developer Clean Energy Collective has announced it has been awarded three new community solar garden projects through Xcel Energy's Solar*Rewards Community program, bringing CEC's project total within the program to eleven The new 500 kW arrays, two in Boulder County and one in Denver County, will make affordable solar ownership accessible to several hundred more Xcel Energy customers.

The Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community program was created in response to the 2010 Colorado Community Solar Gardens Act passed by the Colorado legislature that authorized community solar projects. Since then, more than 160 MW of solar has been installed in Colorado through the Solar*Rewards program.

CEC was awarded eight facilities in the program's first phase, totaling more than 3.5 MW, to serve Colorado customers in Denver, Boulder, Jefferson, Arapahoe and Summit counties, and the City of Aurora.

The Boulder Cowdery Meadows Solar array was the first to come online this April. Three additional facilities- Denver/Lowry Solar Array, Aurora/Arapahoe Solar Array, and Breckenridge Ullr Solar Array-are under construction and expect to be completed by August.

"We're excited to continue the work we've begun with Xcel Energy and the communities across the Front Range and Western Slope," said CEC president Paul Spencer.

"Community solar is proving an effective energy management tool for individuals and businesses, and it's exciting to see Colorado leading the nation in community-based renewable energy solutions."

Clean Energy Collective constructs, maintains and administers the solar arrays, and the panels are owned by individual community members within the respective counties. Each member receives credits directly on their Xcel Energy electricity bill for the power produced by their panels.

Customers can buy in with as few as four panels (1 kW), or purchase as many as needed to fully offset the electricity needs of their home or business. Additionally, all customers receive a 20-year renewable energy incentive from Xcel Energy.

Specific locations for the three new arrays will be announced upon final land approval.

]]> Wed, 12 JUN 2013 00:49:14 AEST El Segundo CA (SPX) Jun 10, 2013 - China's pending move to slap antidumping tariffs on imported solar polysilicon from key countries will generate a surge in pricing for this key raw material in June and July-but the magnitude of the increase will be limited market factors.

The likely imposition of the import duties will cause global solar polysilicon pricing to rise to $19.50 per kilogram in June and July, up from $16.50 in May, according to IHS Polysilicon Price Tracker from information and analytics provider IHS. This represents a major turnaround for a polysilicon market that has seen average pricing decline for seven of the last 10 months, as presented in the attached figure.

However, the increase will amount to only 18 percent, falling short of the 30 percent indicator that would represent a major market correction. Prices also would remain below the key $20-per-kilogram mark.

"IHS believes China is likely to impose antidumping tariffs with rates ranging from 30 to 50 percent on polysilicon imported from the European Union, the United States and South Korea," said Glenn Gu, senior analyst, photovoltaics, at IHS. "However, the impact of the duties will be mitigated by factors including long-term agreements (LTA) that stabilize pricing as well as efforts by buyers and sellers to bypass the tariffs."

Polysilicon pricing factors
While the duties will send prices up, other factors will serve to limit the increase.

First, to produce high-quality cells, a superior grade of polysilicon is required. Such high-end polysilicon is supplied from the European Union, the United States and South Korea. However, Chinese cell manufacturers can reduce the impact of rising prices for imports by blending high-quality silicon with lower-end material to reduce the average cost.

Next, LTAs between Chinese buyers and international suppliers will protect supply agreements. This will lock in lower pricing, at least for a period of time. Furthermore, the duties potentially can be evaded by using wafer tolling outside of China.

Meanwhile, it will be difficult for Chinese midstream players to accept polysilicon prices above $20.5 per kilogram from the spot market in China with continuous cost pressure from downstream suppliers.

Finally, the global manufacturing overcapacity of solar-grade polysilicon will continue and not allow sustainable local price spikes even with protected local production.

]]> Wed, 12 JUN 2013 00:49:14 AEST San Francisco CA (SPX) Jun 10, 2013 - ET Solar Group has announced that it has supplied 3.3 MW high quality modules to the third largest commercial PV plant project undertaken by Perihelio y Afelio , a local EPC company in Chile.

Located in En La Huayca, Pozo Almonte, the ground-mounted PV plant Parque Solar Los Puquios is under construction with ET Solar as the exclusive PV module supplier.

As the first PV plant applying fixed mounts, it's also the first one with an installation capacity of over 3 MW to be connected to grid across Chile. It will power the local copper mining corporate and surrounding auxiliary facilities after grid-connection in August.

Mr. Dennis She, President and CEO of ET Solar, commented, "Chile has good prospects. We're very delighted to work with Perihelio y Afelio to make contribution to this market with affordable and renewable energy. Parque Solar Los Puquios plant indicates a new start for ET in this promising market, and we will work closely with Perihelio y Afelio to accomplish the projects in the pipeline."

"Before this MW-grade order, we've already used ET modules in many previous projects," said Vicente Garcia, president of Perihelio y Afelio. "Our clients are very satisfactory with ET quality and performance, therefore we're able to get more programs with their recognition. ET Solar is a trustable partner and we will consolidate the collaboration with them in the future projects."

]]> Wed, 12 JUN 2013 00:49:14 AEST London, UK (SPX) Jun 10, 2013 - Brill Energy, one of the North West's foremost installers of Solar PV Systems has announced the successful completion of the installation of a 28.5 Kilowatt Enphase Microinverter System at STM Power Transmissions in Winsford.

The system is notably one of the largest commercial Micro Inverted Solar PV Systems that has ever been installed in the North of England and highlights Brill's working practice for being at the very forefront of the country's commercial and domestic Solar Technology sectors.

The Enphase Microinverter System offers customers the unique opportunity to generate substantially more electricity than traditional String Inverted Solar PV Systems. Paul Hallinan of Brill Energy commented on this latest development for Brill:-

"With the installation of this system, Brill Energy fully highlights the advantage of Microinverter equipment in the UK, Brill is one of only a selected few companies that is trained in the installation of this groundbreaking new technology. Micro Inverted Solar PV is rapidly becoming recognised as leading the way in UK PV systems".

Andrew Ralston of STM Power Transmissions commented:- "The installer selection process was all about finding a company that really listened to what we wanted to achieve. From the start Brill Energy provided sound transparent advice offering a number of options, backed by outline illustrations which allowed us time to make the right choice for us. We went with the Enphase Microinverter option offered and Brill Energy took care of everything. We are now totally hooked on generating and saving money".

Paul Nightingale, UK MD of Enphase Energy:- "The radiation from the sun in the North of England is lower than the South, so using Enphase's Microinverter System makes perfect sense - maximizing the energy output of each solar panel."

]]> Wed, 12 JUN 2013 00:49:14 AEST Santa Monica CA (SPX) Jun 07, 2013 - U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the approval of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Quartzsite Solar Energy Project located in La Paz County, Ariz. With this authorization, SolarReserve, a U.S. developer of large-scale solar power projects, is proceeding with the development of its 100 megawatt project, located on Bureau of Land (BLM) managed land.

The Quartzsite Project will be utilizing SolarReserve's concentrated solar power (CSP) technology with integrated storage which allows the facility to operate like a conventional power plant, but without the environmental damage from emissions and waste.

"These projects reflect the Obama Administration's commitment to expand responsible domestic energy production on our public lands and diversify our nation's energy portfolio," Secretary Jewell said. "Today's approvals will help bolster rural economies by generating good jobs and reliable power and advance our national energy security."

With more than $600 million of direct investment in Arizona, the Quartzsite Solar Energy Plant will generate approximately 440 jobs during peak construction and 50 full-time jobs for operations and maintenance. In addition, the project is expected to create local economic stimulus in the form of $15.7 million in sales tax during the construction period, with construction spending injecting another $46.3 million into the local and regional economy.

"The BLM has done a tremendous job of administering a rigorous and fair permitting process for this project," said Kevin Smith, CEO of SolarReserve.

"We appreciate the agency's support of this and other renewable energy projects that are critical to reducing harmful emissions from conventional power plants while creating real employment opportunities. The Quartzsite project will be SolarReserve's second major project successfully permitted on BLM land which demonstrates that industry and government can collaborate effectively."

SolarReserve's lead CSP project, the Crescent Dunes Project, is currently in construction near Tonopah, Nev., with construction scheduled to be substantially complete by late 2013.

The 110 megawatt project has a 25-year power purchase agreement with NV Energy to sell 100 percent of the electricity output of the facility. Construction has peaked at more than 600 workers and is estimated to create more than 4,300 direct, indirect and induced jobs at companies that provide engineering, equipment supply and manufacturing, transportation and other value-added services

The Quartzite Solar Energy Project has completed all major permitting necessary for advancing the project into construction and is actively engaged in power marketing efforts.

The project is slated to begin construction in 2014, once a Power Purchase Agreement has been contracted and financing for the project complete.

The project is ideally situated to deliver power into either California or Arizona according to Tom Georgis, Senior Vice President of Development. "As more and more variable resources such as wind and PV are placed onto the transmission grid; dispatchable generation such as Quartzsite with its integrated energy storage, can support grid reliability and security by firming and shaping these intermittent resources"

]]> Wed, 12 JUN 2013 00:49:14 AEST San Jose CA (SPX) Jun 07, 2013 - Based on data provided by the California Solar Initiative (CSI), sales of new production homes with rooftop solar power systems nearly doubled from 2011 to 2012, signaling increasing home buyer demand to control monthly electricity costs using clean, renewable solar power.

An estimated 4,000 new production solar homes were built in California last year, ten times the number built just seven years ago during the housing construction boom.

SunPower is the market leader in providing solar energy solutions to major production homebuilders such as KB Home - who built the most solar-powered production homes in California in 2012 - Richmond American Homes, Lennar and Pulte. SunPower estimates that strong growth in the sector will continue, with more than 20 percent of new production homes being solar powered this year.

Underscoring the trend, SunPower has announced that it is installing the company's 10,000th high efficiency solar power system on a new production home. To celebrate the milestone, SunPower is providing an upgraded solar power system on the 10,000th home that is expected to generate all of the home's electricity needs.

Homebuyers Justin Levine and Bethany Rutstein, who are finalizing their home purchase with KB Home near San Diego, Calif. while simultaneously planning their June wedding, are thrilled with the complementary system upgrade.

"When you're watching your monthly expenses carefully, choosing a home with solar is a no-brainer. We chose to build our new solar-powered home with KB Home because we were able to personalize nearly every aspect of our new home, including its energy efficiency through a process KB calls Built to Order," said Rutstein.

"The SunPower system is designed to generate all of the power we'll need, and we'll get a fair credit from our utility company for the excess energy it produces. This will leave more in our budget for groceries, car expenses and other needs."

"KB Home has partnered with SunPower to build more than 1,500 solar homes across the country, and we see very high levels of satisfaction with our solar homeowners," said Steve Ruffner, president of KB Home, Southern California.

"For KB Home, building solar powered homes is a priority because of the value they provide to homeowners in terms of potential energy and cost savings. In addition to the monthly savings that Justin and Bethany will be able to enjoy, their SunPower system could increase the future re-sale value of the home."

The market for new production homes with solar in California has been strengthened by the New Solar Homes Partnership program under the CSI. The California Energy Commission oversees the program, which provides incentives for homebuilders to construct energy efficient, solar powered homes.

"By helping reduce the cost for homebuilders to offer solar in their communities, the New Solar Homes Partnership has helped make solar more affordable for families that might not otherwise have access to solar," said California Energy Commissioner Andrew McAllister.

"The program has contributed to a critical transition that is allowing more Californians to use clean, renewable solar power, moving solar into the mainstream and ultimately helping to bring its cost down for everyone."

"Justin and Bethany and thousands of homebuyers like them understand the return on investment that a high quality, energy efficient, solar-powered new production home delivers," said SunPower CEO Tom Werner.

"Working with leading homebuilders like KB Home, SunPower delivers turnkey energy solutions that include the world's most efficient and reliable solar, as well as monitoring applications so homeowners can better control their electricity costs." Werner continued, "By the end of this year, we expect one of every five new production homes in California will be solar powered."

]]> Wed, 12 JUN 2013 00:49:14 AEST Carlsbad CA (SPX) Jun 07, 2013 - Greenwood Biosar has announced that it has commenced construction on one of Vermont's largest solar photovoltaic power plants, a 2.4MWp system, approximately 35 miles north of Burlington.

"Greenwood Biosar is very pleased to be putting our deep background and expertise to work constructing one of the largest solar power plants in Vermont," said Greenwood Biosar CEO Kristina Peterson.

"Our team has a wealth of experience in solar engineering, design, procurement and construction of utility scale solar projects. We're delighted to be providing Vermonters with clean, emissions-free generation to meet their customers' electricity needs."

The solar farm is located in Vermont Electric Cooperative's service territory.

"Vermont Electric Cooperative is pleased to support Vermont's renewable energy goals by extending the benefits of solar power to Vermont consumers," said David Hallquist, CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC).

"This project -one of the largest of its kind in Vermont- is an important effort to develop renewables here in Vermont." As the hosting utility, VEC will interconnect the solar farm to the electric grid and will purchase a portion of the renewable generation output.

Greenwood Biosar will install more than 9,900 photovoltaic (PV) panels across approximately 12 acres. The new 2.4 MWp solar power plant will generate approximately 2,965 MWh of electricity annually, and avoid the emissions of 1,800 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. It is anticipated that the construction and interconnection of this solar installation will be completed in the Autumn of 2013.

Greenwood Biosar specializes in the design, engineering, construction, operations and maintenance of solar plants. The company currently has 48MW of ground-mounted utility-scale solar projects in its construction pipeline in locations throughout the United States. Greenwood Energy produces cost-effective renewable energy for customers seeking a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative form of generation.

]]> Wed, 12 JUN 2013 00:49:14 AEST Guelph, Canada (SPX) Jun 07, 2013 - Canadian Solar has announced that its subsidiary, Canadian Solar Solutions, has entered into a sales agreement with a BluEarth Renewables subsidiary, whereby BluEarth will acquire from Canadian Solar four utility-scale solar power plants totaling 38.5MWac(53.9 MWdc) valued at over C$225.0 million ($217.2 million). CIBC World Markets acted as advisor to BluEarth in the transaction.

The four utility-scale solar power plants being purchased by BluEarth are located in Kawartha Lakes, Belleville, Beaverton and Napanee, Ontario, Canada. Construction on all four utility scale projects is expected to commence in 2013, with commercial operation expected in 2014. Canadian Solar will provide turnkey engineering, procurement and construction ("EPC") services for all four sites.

"At BluEarth we are focused on developing and operating a portfolio of energy projects that optimizes people, planet and profits," said Kent Brown, President and CEO of BluEarth.

"These projects are a great fit with our existing renewable energy plants and projects, moving us closer to our goal of $1 billion of high-quality, long-term contracted renewable energy plants. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Canadian Solar both in the delivery of these high-quality projects and on potential future projects."

These four utility-scale solar power plants are designed to generate sufficient power for approximately 6,878 homes, and will provide emissions free energy to Ontarians over their 20-year operational period covered under the Ontario Power Authority contracts.

In addition, the utility-scale solar power plants will include approximately 186,000 Canadian Solar CS6X high-performance modules, which have been formally tested and awarded international certifications validating the quality of the Company's products. The utility-scale solar power plants are expected to create more than 400 new jobs during the development and construction phases of all four solar projects.

"BluEarth's focus on promoting the responsible use of renewable resources is directly aligned with our goal of contributing to the growth of solar powered energy in Canada," said Dr. Shawn Qu, chairman and chief executive officer of Canadian Solar.

"Development of these utility-scale solar power plants will contribute to job creation in the Ontario market during the construction phase, while also extending our position as a leading provider of solar energy solutions in Canada."

These four utility-scale solar plants being sold to BluEarth are part of Canadian Solar's pipeline in Ontario, Canada, of 29 projects equivalent to approximately 400 MW (dc). The Company estimates that the resale value of its entire Ontario project pipeline, once built into grid-connected solar power plants and sold to investors, will exceed C$1.50 billion ($1.45 billion).

]]> Wed, 12 JUN 2013 00:49:14 AEST St. Louis (UPI) Jun 4, 2013 - The Solar Impulse solar plane landed in St. Louis early Tuesday, completing the third leg of a planned five-flight trek from San Francisco to New York.

After taking off Monday morning from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the aircraft landed in St. Louis after a flight of 21 hours and 21 minutes, its longest flight to date, CNET reported.

After the landing the Swiss-built aircraft was moved to an inflatable hangar originally designed for a planned round-the-world flight, but brought into action after a storm caused heavy damage to the airport hangar originally reserved for Solar Impulse.

"We brought the inflatable hangar to the USA for testing purposes and in fact it allowed the mission to stay on schedule," Solar Impulse co-founder Andre Borschberg said in a statement. "This exercise is now a proof of concept: rather than taking the airplane to a hangar, we have taken the hangar to the airplane."

Borschberg and Solar Impulse co-founder Bertand Piccard have been alternating pilot duties on the cross-country trek.

The first leg, beginning May 3 and piloted by Piccard, started from NASA's Moffett Field in the San Francisco Bay Area and ended in Phoenix; a Phoenix-to-Dallas flight with Borschberg at the controls began May 22.

The long flight times of each leg meant Solar Impulse had to fly through the night; 12,000 solar cells built into the wing use sunlight to charge the batteries for night flight.

A fourth flight will see the plane land in Washington, D.C., this month, while the final leg will end at JFK Airport in New York in early July.

]]> Wed, 12 JUN 2013 00:49:14 AEST Subscribe to our daily selection of space, military, environment and energy newsletters responseText http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0016gbbKsaiGSpQFojVO8ZoHw%3D%3D