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Massachusetts adds $5 million initiative for renewable energy
The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) announced a $5 million program for PV, wind, and micro-hydro technologies in April through the state's Renewable Energy Trust. The money, limited to $3 per W for PV, will be doled out in competitive grants of up to $50,000 for design and construction of projects up to 3.5 kW for residential and 10 kW for commercial systems.
Product news pushes Daystar's stock price
After US company Daystar Technologies Inc. significantly underperformed the PHOTON Photovoltaic Stock Index (PPVX) in 2004, the New York-based company is currently the shooting star among PV stocks
– an upswing that is obviously tied to positive expectations about new product announcement.
REC's plans for a 75-percent stake in silicon producer ASiMI won't help PV this year
Norway's Renewable Energy Corp. (REC) has its sights on a controlling interest in ASiMI's electronics-grade polycrystalline factory in Montana – with plans to shift to production for solar applications. While potentially a good addition to the REC/ASiMI joint venture, Solar Grade Silicon, don't expect a dramatic increase in the supply for PV right away – long-term contracts for the semiconductor industry will still rule the day.
Thought experiment – how PV reduces wholesale power prices in New England
A thought experiment using detailed historical data shows that if 1 GW of PV had been installed in the New England states in 2002, average wholesale electricity prices would have been reduced by 2 to 5
percent.
Evergreen looking at production of thinner wafers by end of year
Evergreen Solar Inc. says it has the potential
to produce silicon wafers thinner than 150 µm
and is scaling up pilot operations to start
commercial production possibly by the end of
2005.
Connecticut adds residential PV rebates to commercial incentives
The Northeast state of Connecticut began its first residential PV rebate program on
Oct. 1. The state has put up $1.8 million, which will be used to offer state residents a $5 per W incentive for systems capped at 5 kW. The
money, which is being administered by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund
(CCEF), is limited to $25,000 per applicant.
Financing at CIGS start up Daystar enough to last till mid-2006
CIGS start-up Daystar Technologies Inc. says it has enough cash to finance its R&D till mid-2006, but will need additional infusions to set up manufacturing or it
»will be forced to curtail or terminate
operations.«
Expansion plans vague as Evergreen reveals $5 million credit line
Evergreen Solar Inc. has announced a deal in which its
banker, California-headquartered Silicon Valley Bank
(SVB), will provide the string-ribbon PV company with a revolving credit line worth $5 million for one
year.
Kyocera to start module production just south of California border
Kyocera, the world's second-largest solar cell
manufacturer, is planning to start module
assembly at a semiconductor component factory it
owns in Tijuana, Mexico – a few kilometers
south of San Diego and the California border.
Rhode
Island passes RPS with no solar carve-out
A Rhode Island renewable portfolio standard (RPS)
signed into law on June 29 contains no solar
carve-out. The RPS for the smallest state in the
US calls for 16 percent of the retail
electricity sales to come from renewable sources
by 2019. Of that, 2 percent can be from existing
sources. The requirement starts at 3 percent by
the end of 2007.
Connecticut to start $2 million residential PV rebate program
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) has approved $2 million for a three-year residential PV rebate program for systems up to 5 kW. At $5 per W, the money will be enough for 400 kW of installations in the Northeastern
state.
Honolulu's city council passes scaled-back solar bond
The Honolulu City Council passed a budget on June 4 that includes a $7.85 million solar
bond. While $3 million has been set aside for energy
efficiency, the remainder should be available for more than 700 kW worth of PV projects by the end of 2005, although a portion may be used for solar thermal systems.
Solar trough installation for APS could affect PV commitment
With the March 24 start of construction on a solar trough installation for Arizona Public Service (APS), the Arizona utility could be moving away from PV to meet its targets for solar-electricity generation in the
state.
ECD places hopes of curtailing losses on ramping up of PV sales
Despite continued losses, Energy Conversion Devices
(ECD) hopes that increased PV sales through its subsidiary United Solar Ovonic LLC (Uni-Solar) can help the Michigan-based renewable energy company climb out of negative
margins.
Evergreen's
four-string furnace to remain prototype for now
String-ribbon cell and module manufacturer Evergreen Solar Inc. says it has
successfully completed a research project enabling the growth of four ribbons
from one single furnace.
Connecticut
PV fund moves to open-enrollment procedure
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) has changed its request-for-proposal
(RFP) procedure for its PV program from a single solicitation once a year to an
open enrollment with rounds scheduled every four months over three
years. The
first deadline is on Feb. 13.
APS doubles on-grid rebate to $4 per W but limits funding
Arizona Public Service (APS) has announced a doubling of a PV rebate for the start of 2004, bringing the level up to $4 per W for grid-connected systems, limited to no more than half of the installed
costs. But APS, the state's largest utility, is only spending up to $1 million annually on the
program, meaning it will lead to no more than 250 kW of installed capacity per year from its
customers.
»One voice for solar«
As word leaked out at October's UPEx conference that the US PV NGOs Solar Energy Industry Association
(SEIA) and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) were setting up a task force to consider a
union, PHOTON International's William P. Hirshman talked with Glenn
Hamer, executive director of SEIA, about the reasoning behind the
move.
Rensselaer develops tracking concentrator systems for office windows
The new intelligent window system, known as Dynamic Shading Window System
(DSWS) of New York-based Rensselaer Polytechnic kills two birds with one
stone. Not only does the window block direct sunlight, but it also produces
electricity: packed between two panes of glass is a kind of PV
module, consisting of several dozen 30
× 30 cm PV elements.
AstroPower vacates production facility as rumors of buyout grow
Amid speculation that all or part of AstroPower Inc. may be sold off, the PV cell and module manufacturer is vacating its new production facility in Newark, Delaware as a cost-saving
measure.
Total Energie expands sales network in the Americas
French-based PV distributor Total Energie SA is setting up sales and management offices in eight countries in the Americas
– including the US – in a bid for a larger market share. Offices in
Mexico, Bolivia, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Columbia were planned to open by the end of
October, and in Brazil by the end of 2003.
Flywheel company Beacon Power goes solar to improve business
Beacon Power Corporation, a manufacturer of flywheels for energy
storage, announced its second quarter results on Aug. 14. But while the results won't make investors
smile, the company's new direction may. Beacon plans to shift the focus of its business, letting its flywheel technology hibernate and enter the PV
market.
Arizona housing development could equal 1.3 MW of off-grid PV
An upscale housing development in the wilds of Arizona is set become the first major off-grid PV community in the US. Greenwood Partners, which began selling 2-hectare lots of land in the high Chaparral at an elevation of about 1,300 m in August, is including a basic 1.65 kW stand-alone PV system in the price of its five models of
houses, starting at $100,000.
Putting on a brave thin-film face
Thin-film technologies a-Si and CIS have so far not proven to be the goldmine EPV once dreamed of. And closures of factories using EPV production lines could mean hopes of reaching profitability are as thin as the
cells' layers themselves.
Canada's Arise goes public despite lack of government PV support
Canadian solar integrator Arise Technologies Corp. began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in Toronto on July 22. The listing, under the symbol APV, came almost two weeks after the Ontario-based company completed an initial public offering
(IPO) – nearly a year later than originally planned.
LIPA extends PV rebate at higher rate than expected
With the dedication of a 1 MW PowerLight Corp. PV system partially funded by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) on May 28, the regional New York State electric utility has also announced an extension to its Solar Pioneer rebate
program.
PV has potential to cover 71 percent of US electricity needs
A study issued by the Union of Concerned Scientists (USC) on May 13 says PV could provide 71 percent of total US electricity
needs. According to the authors of the study, entitled Plugging in Renewable
Energy: Grading the States, the northwestern state of Montana leads the pack with the potential to produce nearly 10 times its electricity needs from PV in relation to electricity sales in 2001.
Solar carve-out for New Jersey RPS still unclear
Although a final report on revisions to a renewables portfolio standard
(RPS) for the US state of New Jersey had not been issued by
mid-April, PV supporters were still hoping that it would contain a 5 to 10 percent solar
carve-out. But the outcome is far from clear.
Most 2003 PV R&D line items increase over 2002 levels
On Feb. 14, the biggest PV R&D budget in eight years, a respectable $76.7
million, was finally passed by Congress for FY 2003 after months of delay
(see PI 3/2003, p. 26); that's 4.1 percent higher than the $73.7 million requested by President George W. Bush back in Feb. 2002
(see PI 3/2002, p. 30).
Loves
me, loves me not, loves me...
February started with the Bush administration calling for a decent
– albeit accidental – 4.1 percent increase to its PV R&D budget
request for 2004 of $76.7 million. Then the US Congress finally put
the 2003 budget to bed at the same amount. It must be love.
Bolivia close to starting program for solar home systems
Bolivia is developing a program to install 30,000 to 40,000 solar home systems (SHS) by 2010 as part of a $200 million rural electrification plan announced in November by President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada
(see PI 12/2002, p. 19).
Global Solar to add 1 MW to Tucson Electric's 2.4 MW PV site
PV manufacturer and integrator Global Solar Energy has signed a contract with Tucson Electric Power
(TEP) to add more than 1 MW by September to the Arizona utility's 2.4 PV system near its Springerville coal-fired generating
station.
Sanyo
plans Mexican HIT module production in bid to increase US sales
Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. hopes to nearly double its North
American market sales by manufacturing modules at a rechargeable
battery factory it owns in Monterrey, Mexico.
Evergreen Solar doubles furnace growth to two string ribbons
String ribbon PV manufacturer Evergreen Solar Inc. announced an
improvement to its crystal growth furnaces on Dec. 4, which
allows the simultaneous growth of two silicon ribbons rather
than one. Dubbed Gemini, the new process would double furnace
output.
Six areas of
Massachusetts to receive buydowns through aggregators
The Renewable Energy Trust (RET) in Massachusetts has promised
$2.6 million in grants to selected communities around the state.
It will be used to install nearly 250 systems with a total value
of about $9 million.
Wastewater treatment plant to get 520 kW system
A 520 kW PV system next to a wastewater treatment plant in
northern California is expected to go online in November.
Brockton proposes 1 MW
system on brownfield site The city of Brockton,
Massachusetts, will hold a hearing in mid-September prior to a
city council decision on whether to approve plans to turn 10
acres of a contaminated brownfield into a brightfield with a 1
MW PV system.
Bekaert inaugurates world's
largest thin-film factory United Solar Systems
Corp. has opened a 30 MW triple-junction amorphous silicon
factory at its Bekaert ECD Solar Systems LLC (BESS) facility in
Auburn Hills, Michigan.
Utility woes limit world's
largest a-Si BIPV system in New York City While a
213 kW demonstration project for New York City's NYC Transit
will be the world's largest BIPV amorphous silicon installation
when completed in mid-2003, it could have been almost three
times as large.
Nevada improves RPS with cap
removal, but penalties weakened
On May 8, the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
eliminated a 1/2 mill ($0.0005) cap on retail utility rates that
had threatened a 5 percent solar component of a renewable
portfolio standard passed by the state legislature in May 2001.
Konarka plans first US TiO2
solar module production in 2003 Konarka
Technologies Inc., which intends to begin the first US-based
commercial manufacturing of dye-sensitized titanium-dioxide (TiO2)
solar modules in 2003, says it raised $3.5 million of additional
funding in a second financing round, completed during the first
quarter of 2002
Solar hangs in balance as
US energy bill heads to conference
On April 25, the US Senate overwhelmingly passed its version of
a major energy bill with a number of benefits for solar. The
bill now goes to a Senate-House conference committee to merge it
with the House version, passed in Aug. 2001.
BP Solar joins
quest for solid-state molecular organic PV module
SolarAMP LLC, a PV startup, says it has established a »joint
effort« with BP Solar to develop the first commercial
solid-state molecular organic PV module.
Arizona PV system set to expand
to 2.4 MW Expansion plans are in the works to
nearly double the capacity of a 1.35 MW ground-mounted PV system owned
by Tucson Electric Power Co. (TEP), Arizona's third-largest utility.
Honduras starts pilot program for community centers
A three-year pilot program to supply up
to 100 community centers in Honduras with PV systems and
telecommunications equipment is expected to start in March. Steven
Fischer at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), says that
although the IDB approved $8.5 million in funding last November, the
implementation of the program had to wait for the newly elected
administration to take office in January. The Honduran government will
provide an extra $2 million.
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