SCHOTT Solar breaks ground on manufacturing facility
Built for SCHOTT Solar, Inc, Executives from SCHOTT AG of Mainz, Germany, Governor Bill Richardson and other local dignitaries ceremonially broke ground March 3 on a new manufacturing facility in the Mesa del Sol region of Albuquerque, NM. The new facility will produce both photovoltaic (PV) modules and receivers for concentrated solar thermal power plants (CSP). Production is expected to begin as early as spring 2009.
Initially, the company will construct a 200,000 square-foot facility, which will employ 350 people. SCHOTT Solar will invest approximately $100 million to start production in New Mexico.
Stellar Energy and Open Energy team up on installation in San Francisco
Open Energy and Stellar Energy announced in January the completion of a major solar electric installation for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). The system is installed on the Water Department's 20,500 square foot warehouse roof, using 270 SolarSave Membrane Modules capable of generating over 121 kilowatts of dc power.
Chris Phipps of Stellar said, "Using innovative heat-welding technology, Open Energy's solar membranes were integrated directly into the membrane roof surface of the building, without any racks or reinforcements required."
ersol and SCHOTT team up
ersol Thin Film GmbH, a subsidiary of ersol Solar Energy AG (ersol), and SCHOTT Solar have concluded a cooperative agreement under which they will jointly develop micromorphous technology for thin-film solar cells. According to a recent press release, by combining their research and development resources, the companies hope to achieve faster product maturity and build a leading position in the micromorphous solar module market.
WorldWater & Solar announces completion of ENTECH merger
At the end of January, Worldwater & Solar Technologies (WWAT) announced that it had closed the merger with ENTECH, Inc. of Keller, Texas. This transaction was made possible through agreement with one of WorldWater's largest investors, the Quercus Trust (Quercus). Quercus exchanged 19.7 million of its common shares of WorldWater for 19,700 shares of convertible preferred stock and supplied WWAT with a $6 million bridge loan. The 19.7 million common shares and the bridge loan were subsequently utilized to complete the ENTECH merger.
Spire to Engineer manufacturing lines in South Korea
Spire Corporation recently announced that it has received a contract from Dongyang Creditech Co. Ltd., located in South Korea, to provide a photovoltaic module assembly line.
Spire will provide Dongyang with a semi-automated crystalline cell module manufacturing line capable of producing up to 12 megawatts (MW) of solar modules per year, as well as the process technology and training to operate the factory. The line is designed to be easily doubled at a later date and will integrate Spire's key assembly, lamination, and testing machines along with intermediate tooling stations.
LXE signs to produce 108,000 metric tons of Trichlorosilane
LXE announced in January that it has been contracted to provide a technology package to annually manufacture 108,000 metric tons of Trichlorosilane to produce 18,000 metric tons of Polysilicon per year. Further, it has expanded its senior technical management by hiring four industry veterans to serve LXE's initial clients and to handle future growth.
Gloria Spire Solar to open on West Coast
Gloria Spire Solar, LLC, have announced the opening of their new West Coast office, to be located in California's Bay Area. The company says the new office will serve clients in the Western states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, and Oregon. Clients in other areas of the U.S. as well as Canada will continue to be served from the company's headquarters in Bedford, Mass.
Campbell Company and Hoku Solar to Build Oahu's Largest Solar Farm
The James Campbell Company has signed an agreement with Hoku Solar, Inc., to plan a Kapolei Sustainable Energy Park which would be the largest photovoltaic (PV) facility on Oahu.
The Kapolei Sustainable Energy Park would be capable of generating approximately 1.5 megawatts of photovoltaic power. Over the life of the system, it would produce enough electricity to power approximately 6,700 homes for one year. This solar facility is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating 38,161 tons of carbon dioxide and saving 120,000 barrels of oil over 25 years. The solar facility will be located in the planned Kapolei Harborside industrial project on a 12-acre parcel owned by the Campbell Company.
Continental Airlines, Boeing and GE Aviation announce plans for sustainable biofuels flight demonstration
Continental Airlines, Boeing and GE Aviation announced plans to conduct a biofuels demonstration flight in the first half of 2009 in an effort to identify sustainable fuel solutions for the aviation industry. Continental is the first major U.S. carrier to announce plans to highlight technological advancements in sustainable biofuels that can help to further reduce carbon emissions.
"In the months leading up to the flight, Continental, Boeing and GE will work together and with an undisclosed fuel provider to identify sustainable fuel sources that don't impact food crops, water resources or contribute to deforestation, and which can be produced in sufficient quantities to support a pre-flight test schedule that includes laboratory and ground-based jet engine performance testing to ensure compliance with stringent aviation fuel performance and safety requirements.
Nexterra biomass gasification system wins GLOBE Award for Technology Innovation And Application
Nexterra Energy Corp., the Vancouver-based biomass gasification company, whose technology converts waste biomass into clean-burning 'syngas? to displace fossil fuels, has won the prestigious GLOBE Award for Technology Innovation and Application at the internationally recognized GLOBE Awards for Environmental Excellence.
"Nexterra's technology has demonstrated to customers that they can reduce costs and become more energy self-efficient, while significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air contaminants from some of the largest point source industries and institutions in North American communities. Nexterra is developing new market applications through powerful relationships with industry leaders, including Johnson Controls, Domtar, Tolko Industries, Dockside Green and Pristine Power.
Steelcase Inc. becomes first renewable energy credit buyer to sponsor commercial-scale wind farm
Steelcase Inc. has announced a long-term financial commitment to a U.S. wind farm, including supporting the purchase of all the green power produced by the farm for at least the first five years of its operation. This is the first time a corporation has made an up-front commitment to purchase all of the renewable energy credits (RECs) from a U.S. wind farm in the financing stage. Renewable Choice Energy, the award-winning renewable energy and carbon offset provider, led the ground-breaking transaction and serves as the exclusive marketer for the project.
"The 10 megawatt wind farm, developed by a local landowner and John Deere Renewables, the wind-energy development unit of Deere & Co., will begin operations on or about May 1, 2008. Located in Panhandle, Texas, the eight turbine wind farm is expected to generate 35,000 megawatt hours of electricity each year - enough to power 2,925 homes. According to information provided by the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, this is equivalent to eliminating 61,639,900 pounds of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming.
High Country Energy, LLC and Wisconsin Public Service Corporation announce agreement on wind farm purchase
High Country Energy, LLC, and Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPSC), a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, Inc., announced that WPSC has signed a letter of intent to acquire a 150 Megawatt (MW)"portion of the High Country wind project. The High Country Wind Energy Park, located in Dodge and Olmsted Counties, Minnesota, is planned to include a total of over 300 MW's."
"This development and sale of the first phase of the High Country Energy project is a very positive opportunity for our local community,? says Patrick Pelstring, co-chair of National Wind. National Wind is a minority owner and the managing member of High Country. ?We are excited to work with a successful and respected utility such as WPSC on this project. A sale of a portion of this project helps diversify High Country Energy's income stream and adds to the overall scale of the project, making it more competitive. The majority of the proceeds from the sale will remain within the community."
"WPSC expects to complete construction on the project in a timeframe coinciding with the timeline set by the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) for transmitting the electricity.
