News

BrightSource operations boss appointment hints at international focus

US solar thermal developer BrightSource Energy yesterday named Steven Goers as its as senior vice president of operations.
SGI-Mitabu agrees megawatt-scale solar deal in Indonesia

SGI-Mitabu, a company formed by two Australian firms The Solar Guys International and Mitabu Australia, has entered into a partnership with the government of South Sumatra, Indonesia to develop megawatt-scale solar power projects.
IHS: Hiked module prices could result in more Chinese bankruptcies

Preliminary anti-dumping duties could increase PV module prices by 45% in June, further dampening an already demoralised European solar industry says a new report from market analysts at IHS.
Conergy posts record first quarter shipments

PV projects in Thailand as well as strong demand in select European countries saw Conergy post its highest ever first quarter shipments.
Clean energy fund to acquire 60% share in Thai solar portfolio

Asset management firm Armstrong’s new South East Asia Clean Energy Fund is to acquire a stake in six solar projects in Central and Northeast Thailand being developed by Symbior Solar Siam, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based energy company Symbior Energy.
India proposes resolution to solar domestic content dispute

The Indian government has confirmed it will offer developers the option to bid for solar projects with or without a domestic content requirement (DCR), which could serve to placate domestic grievances against importers of modules.
Phoenix Solar sees further losses as restructuring continues

PV systems integrator Phoenix Solar reported higher losses in the first quarter of 2013 due to severance payments and restructuring to focus on business in the direction of Asia and the USA and away from Germany.
Major boost for Thailand rooftop solar sector

Thailand’s government has announced plans to support a major expansion of the country’s solar rooftop sector on both domestic and commercial buildings.
SunFunder announces further project finance after repaying first loan in nine months

A San Francisco-based crowd sourcing solar financing start-up yesterday announced a new programme with a UK solar products supplier to developing countries after last week announcing that it had repaid its first loan to investors within just nine months.
Phoenix Solar Singapore to construct 36MW of new solar capacity in Thailand

The Singapore subsidiary of German EPC, Phoenix Solar, has won the contract to engineer 36MW of new solar power capacity in Thailand.
Myanmar to host world’s third largest solar plant

Thailand-based Green Earth Power (GEP) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Myanmar’s Ministry of Electric Power to construct a US$275 million plant.
Flexible solar module manufacturing strategies building momentum

Citing improved margins against very tight capital expenditure control, PV module manufacturers are increasingly outsourcing part of their production needs, benefiting the likes of Flextronics, Jabil Circuits and JA Solar, according to a new report from IHS.
LS Power Group connects phase one of 127MW AV Solar II project

The first phase of the five-phase 127MW Arlington Valley Solar Energy II project located in southwest Arizona, US, has officially opened and become live.
Bouygyes Construction and Soleq Solar plan 30MW in Thailand

Bouygyes Construction and solar energy producer Soleq Solar Thailand have signed a contract worth approximately US$50 million for three PV plants in the Tak and Sukhothai provinces of north-east Thailand.
REC module sales shift to Asia; polysilicon drags on revenue

Reduced polysilicon production dragged revenue generation down at Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) in the first quarter of 2013.
Hanwha’s PV future based on former Q-Cells

Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group has revealed that its PV industry foray that started with the acquisition of Chinese manufacturer Solarfun and last year included the bailout of Germany’s Q-Cells will become a “centrepiece” of the company’s future growth.
Foxconn subsidiary to produce solar modules for SunEdison in Mexico

With 61% of its 827MW PV project backlog concentrated in the US, SunEdison has signed solar module manufacturing agreement with a Mexican-based subsidiary of sub-contractor Foxconn Technology.
New US$1.6 billion polysilicon plant planned in Malaysia

A petrochemical construction firm based in Saudi Arabia plans to build a state-of-the-art polysilicon plant in Sarawak, Malaysia, expected to being production in 2016.
ADB to fund development of 57MW of Thai PV capacity

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will fund a 57MW solar power project in central Thailand by providing a financing package worth US$85 million.
Philippines government green-lights 35MW solar project

The Philippines government has approved a 35MW PV project in Darong, Davao del Sur on the island of Mindanao.