• United States
    16 Feb 2013

    Fluor Moves Forward with Next Phase of EPC Services for Centinela’s Solar Energy Facility in California

    Fluor Corporation announced today that Centinela Solar Energy, LLC, a member of LS Power Group, has issued a notice-to-proceed for Phase 2 of the Centinela Solar Energy Facility, a new nominal 170-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) facility located in Southern California. Fluor received its initial notice-to-proceed from LS Power in September 2012 and began construction in December 2012. Phase 2 is the final phase to be released to Fluor under its lump-sum engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the project. The company will book the undisclosed second phase value in the first quarter of 2013.
  • United States
    16 Feb 2013

    IES Expands Solar Capabilities

    Integrated Electrical Services, Inc. (or “IES”)  today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets of the Acro Energy group (or “Acro”), a residential solar energy integrator. The acquisition is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2013.
  • India
    15 Feb 2013

    Azure Power Starts Operating 35 MW Rajasthan Solar Plant

    Azure Power India Pvt., a developer of solar plants, said it has started a 35 megawatt plant at Nagaur in the northern state of Rajasthan. The plant was built beside an existing 5 megawatt unit, making it the largest under India’s National Solar Mission, Inderpreet Wadhwa, chief executive officer, said in a telephone interview from New Delhi.    The 40-megawatt project, awarded under phase one of India’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, supplies power to state-owned Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd., according to an e-mailed statement from the New Delhi-based company. The project was funded by the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. and was supplied with thin-film solar modules made by First Solar Inc. of Arizona. India is currently building 1,000 megawatts of solar power plants and is in the process of tendering for 2,000 megawatts more projects, Tarun Kapoor, joint secretary in the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy said on Feb. 7.
  • 15 Feb 2013

    Sunwize Will Develop 62.5 MW Project in Ecuador With Solexica Energy, JCM Capital, and Radical Energy

    SunWize Technologies, Inc. is working with three other organizations as members of a North American Consortium to develop two major solar photovoltaic projects in the Republic of Ecuador. These projects will help Ecuador diversify its renewable energy resources and promote energy efficiency among its people. In addition to SunWize, the consortium includes Solexica Energy Corporation, JCM Capital, and Radical Energy Inc. "Photovoltaic solar energy doesn't pollute air, soil or water, making it a sustainable and environmentally-friendly choice for energy production worldwide. As members of the North American Consortium, we look forward to providing the people of Ecuador with an energy resource that will serve them well in the years ahead." said Scott Tonn , CEO of SunWize.
  • United States
    15 Feb 2013

    Protoflex Corporation Received Order From Chinese Sunrui Group

    Protoflex Corporation is proud to announce a new order received from the Sunrui Group, China, for a PECVD system.  Based on the FLEX 1100, it’s designed for depositing Diamond-Like Coating (DLC) films over an 8” wafer and includes wafer rotation at 800⁰C. Currently, they are fabricating systems for the University of Cairo’s Egyptian Nanotechnology Center and for Bharat Heavy Electricals in India.  These orders include a Sputtering system (six magnetrons with in situ tilting and wafer temperature of 800⁰C), a Thermal Evaporation system (six thermal sources and wafer temperature of 800⁰C) based on the FLEX 2200 model and a Quantum Efficiency Measurement System, QEUNIS.
  • Australia
    15 Feb 2013

    Dyesol Delivers DSC Equipment Package to Researchers in Brunei

    Dyesol has recently delivered and installed a compact DSC Laboratory Test Cell Equipment System for the University of Brunei Darussalam over the past month. This package provides the customer with the ability to produce DSC Test Cells through the use of Dyesol’s proprietary Test Cell Assembly Machine and provides the customer with the ability to conduct DSC testing through the use of Dyesol’s class AAA Solar Simulator in conjunction with Dyesol’s proprietary Universal Photovoltaic Testing System software package.    This equipment package has significantly increased the capabilities of University of Brunei Darussalam to reproducibly construct DSC Test Cells.  Reproducibility is extremely important (essential) for ongoing and higher level DSC research. Consistent and repeatable results ensure material sets, new designs, methodology and processes can be logically and scientifically refined and activity progressed.  
  • United States
    14 Feb 2013

    Solarworld Introduces All-American Solar Financing

    SolarWorld has launched the SolarWorld Freedom™ Plan, the solar industry’s first financing program dedicated exclusively to American-made solar products. The program is designed for homeowners seeking freedom from rising utility costs by replacing a portion of their electricity bill with a low monthly solar-power payment. Unlike competitors’ financing programs, the SolarWorld Freedom™ Plan guarantees the use of high-quality American-made solar panels in every installation, responding to American consumers’ recently surveyed strong preference for products made in the USA.   “The majority of leased solar systems installed in the U.S. last year relied on imported panels from China,” said Rusty Pittman, director of marketing for SolarWorld Americas. “Increasingly, Americans are seeking out U.S.-made products not only to provide them with quality, safety and environmental assurances but also to enable them to invest in their local and national economies.”   American consumers have a strong belief that American-made products are of better quality than imports, according to a survey released last month by Harris Interactive and the Made in the USA Foundation. In fact, 75 percent of U.S. consumers said they would pay more for American-made products of the same or better quality than imported goods.   With zero-down, low-down and prepaid options, the SolarWorld Freedom™ Plan gives homeowners the freedom to choose how they finance their American-made solar investment and minimize their upfront costs. The plan is offered in conjunction with SolarWorld’s complete solar-electric systems, which include photovoltaic equipment, installation, monitoring services, system insurance and maintenance for up to 20 years.   SolarWorld launched the Freedom™ Plan in California this month through its network of authorized installers. In the coming months, SolarWorld will expand the Freedom Plan into additional U.S. solar markets, including Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
  • Switzerland
    14 Feb 2013

    Flisom Raises Funding To Ramp Up 15 MW Flexible CIGS Production Plant

    Flisom, a Swiss company developing technologies for manufacturing of flexible thin film CIGS solar modules (copper-indium-gallium-(di)selenide), has raised a substantially large investment to further develop its technology and build a production plant with an annual capacity of 15MW in Switzerland. Besides securing financial backing, Flisom also signed an agreement with Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, to provide research and development support on high-efficiency flexible CIGS solar cell technology.
  • Germany
    14 Feb 2013

    Solon Completes 459 kW Solar Water Treatment Project in Arizona

     SOLON Corporation, announced it has completed construction of a 459 kilowatt (kW) PV system at the Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Facility for the Town of Gila Bend, Arizona. The system is expected to offset the energy usage of the water treatment facility by 86 percent, which will save money for the Town of Gila Bend through reduced utility bills. 
  • United States
    14 Feb 2013

    Applied Materials Announces First Quarter 2013 Results

    Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT), reported results for its first quarter of fiscal 2013 ended January 27, 2013. Applied generated orders of $2.11 billion and net sales of $1.57 billion. The company reported operating income of $39 million and net income of $34 million or 3 cents per diluted share. Non-GAAP operating income was $112 million, and non-GAAP net income was $69 million or 6 cents per share, at the high end of the business outlook.   "We executed well through the bottom of this industry investment cycle and, with our semiconductor orders up over 80 percent from the previous quarter, we are optimistic about the potential of our markets this year," said Mike Splinter, chairman and chief executive officer. "2013 looks to be another strong year for mobile products like smartphones and tablets, and customers are increasingly turning to Applied to help solve the technology challenges they face in this growing market."