Trina Solar Hits Monocrystalline Silicon Cell Efficiency Milestone
Trina Solar Ltd. says its State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology of China has set a new record for industrial high-efficiency p-type monocrystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. The record-breaking p-type mono-crystalline silicon solar cell was fabricated on a large-size industrial boron-doped Cz-Si substrate with an advanced Honey Plus process that integrated both front and back surface passivation. The 156 x 156 mm2 solar cell reached a total-area efficiency of 22.13%. This result has been independently confirmed by the Fraunhofer ISE CalLab in Germany.
Sonnenbatterie Beats Tesla To The Punch With U.S. Roll-Out
Sonnenbatterie has rolled out its plug-and-play home battery system in the U.S. ahead of Christmas, beating Tesla to the punch in what is expected to be a competitive market in 2016. Sonnenbatterie manufacturers its storage devices in San Jose, California, and has secured supply contracts with 30 dealers across the U.S. Demand for the battery is already strong, with a Sonnenbatterie spokesperson telling PV Magazine’s German-language website that around 1,000 products have already been ordered.
Southern Power Acquires 200 MW Garland Solar Facility From Recurrent Energy
Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power announced the acquisition of a controlling interest in the 200-megawatt (MW) Garland solar facility under construction in California from Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar Inc. Recurrent Energy is constructing the facility and will retain the remaining interest in the project. Southern Power and Recurrent Energy have now announced the development of three jointly owned projects that together are expected to generate more than 550 MW of solar electricity in California and Texas.
Investment Tax Credit Extension Will Increase Solar Investment 54% Through 2020
BOSTON, Mass. (December 16, 2015) A five-year extension to the solar investment tax credit (ITC), which is currently included in the omnibus spending bill under consideration in Congress, would result in 25 gigawatts (GW) of additional solar capacity over the next five years – a 54 percent increase over a no-extension scenario. According to GTM Research, which today released preliminary updated state- and segment-level forecasts based on the current omnibus language, ITC extension will foster $40 billion in incremental investment in solar between 2016 and 2020.
SEIA Solar Newsletter | Dec. 15, 2015
Every week, The SEIA Solar Update includes top news stories covering the solar industry, major upcoming events, policy updates, and much more. This newsletter is open to SEIA Members and to the general public.
Trina Solar To Supply 96.2 MW Of Solar Modules To the Largest Solar Project in Kyushu, Japan
Trina Solar has signed a supply agreement with Toyo Engineering to ship a total of 96.2 MW of solar modules to the Hosoe Mega Solar Project, which is developed by Pacifico Energy K.K. and expected to be the largest solar project in Kyushu, Japan. The modules will be shipped starting from the fourth quarter of 2016 until January 2018. The project will be constructed on 140 hectares of land where a golf course was originally planned.
SunEdison And Vivint Solar Reach Agreement To Amend Definitive Merger Agreement
SunEdison and Vivint Solar have reached an agreement to amend and modify the terms of the definitive merger agreement previously announced on July 20. In conjunction therewith, SunEdison also announced today that 313 Acquisition, the vehicle controlled by private equity funds managed by Blackstone, has entered into a commitment to provide a $250 million credit facility to fund the ongoing growth of SunEdison. The merger is anticipated to close in the first quarter of 2016.
GCL Signs Off On 100MW Module Supply Deal With CNI Energy
Nanjing GCL New Energy — a subsidiary of GNE — has signed off on a 100MW module supply agreement with CNI Energy for RMB ($61 million).
SunEdison Signs Large-Scale Energy Storage Contract With Ontario ISO
The project, which will use Imergy’s vanadium redox flow battery technology, is SunEdison's first commercial large-SunEdison has signed a 10-year agreement with Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to supply 5 MW/20 MWh of energy storage to the province. SunEdison said that the IESO intends to use data from the energy storage project to analyze how storage can be used to smooth the power flow from wind and solar, defer expensive system upgrades, and ultimately shape the future of its grid.
Scatec Solar Completes Utah's First Utility-Scale PV Plant
Scatec Solar ASA has commissioned the first utility-scale solar park in the state of Utah. Located in Parowan, the 104 MW Utah Red Hills Renewable Park (URHRP) will more than double the state's current solar footprint. The plant covers approximately 632 acres (256 hectares) of privately-owned land, consisting of more than 340,000 PV modules on a single-axis tracking system.