News for February 2013

News Archive

Ballard fuel cell system to use biomass-generated hydrogen on California reservation

Canadian-based Ballard Power Systems has sold a ClearGen™ distributed generation fuel cell system to an Indian reservation in northern California. The 175 kW system will be integrated with a biomass gasifier and syngas purification unit to form an integrated biomass-to-fuel cell power solution.

First Solar sets new world record for CdTe thin film solar PV cell efficiency

The company says it has set a new world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) solar cell conversion efficiency, achieving 18.7 percent cell efficiency in tests confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

UK wave and tidal: two companies share £20mn funding pot to take turbine technologies to next stage

MeyGen Ltd and Sea Generation Wales Ltd have both won funding under the government’s Marine Energy Array Demonstrator scheme (MEAD), launched in April last year, to support the development and testing of pre-commercial marine devices in array formations out at sea.

Intelligent Energy collaborates with Cable & Wireless to power consumer electronics

At this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Intelligent Energy announced a collaboration with Cable & Wireless Communications, to test personal energy devices powered by Intelligent Energy’s fuel cell technology.

Wave and tidal energy: Government urged to act to secure UK's global lead

The UK’s wave and tidal energy industries say they will only be able to grow successfully if they get the right level of support from Government - otherwise Britain risks surrendering its world lead in marine energy.

Report: Innovative laser based wind measurements reduce cost of energy for wind farms

Using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) can increase the value of a typical Dutch wind farm by over €1mn, according to Ecofys consultants, which recently initiated a study to help bring down barriers for wind energy projects in the Netherlands.

EIA 2012 year-end report shows renewable energy power generation up, with solar increasing 139%

The latest issue of the US Energy Information Administration's (EIA) "Electric Power Monthly," with preliminary data through to December 31, 2012, shows that non-hydro renewable sources (biomass, geothermal, solar, wind) increased by 12.8% last year compared to 2011 and provided 5.4% of net US electrical generation.

New SolarMax outdoor solution for large-scale plants

Sputnik Engineering's new SolarMax 360 TS-SV central inverter and the TS-SV Compact Station, with a rated output power of 720kW, are, together, a cost effective complete solution for large PV power plants, the firm says.

Solar PV production: Singulus Technologies strengthens its PV activities in Korea

The company has signed an exclusive representation contract with DKSH Korea which will introduce solar cell technology from Singulus Technologies to Korea’s photovoltaic (PV) market.

TenneT awards DolWin3 offshore wind grid connection project to Alstom

The project connects the North Sea wind farms off the German coast to the mainland supergrid and has an investment volume of more than €1bn.

Availon signs full service maintenance contract for three German wind farms

The multi-brand provider of wind turbine maintenance services has signed a new full service contract for three wind farms, with a combined capacity of 38MW, in Germany.

Offshore Wind: Principle Power announces partners for Pacific WindFloat project

Renewable energy technology developer, Principle Power - awarded a Department of Energy grant worth $4M and up to $47M in total funding to support its WindFloat Pacific Demonstration Project. - has announced its list of official project partners.

Solar energy: what cost, what outlook and what’s going on in Hawaii?

So with the 100GW milestone reached for global solar PV installations, what now when it comes to ...

juwi starts build on its first solar park in South Africa

The 7MW solar park near Rustenburg / will generate clean electricity for more than 10,000 thousand households and create economic opportunites for more than 200 people during construction phase, the firm says.

Solar Flow-Through applies for 126 solar contracts with Ontario Power Authority

Solar Flow-Through Limited Partners has raised $2,857,000 in Q4 2012 through a private placement. The funds will be used to develop and operate solar power generation projects in the Province of Ontario under the Ontario Power Authority's (OPA) Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) programme. FIT contracts provide fixed purchase rates for solar power and are guaranteed by the OPA for 20 years.

Arise announces SEK 400 million Swedish wind power plan

Arise Windpower AB has confirmed plans to install15 wind turbines across three projects in southern Sweden.

KKR to acquire Ontario solar projects

KKR is acquiring three solar photovoltaic (PV) energy projects from SSM Solar, an affiliate of Starwood Energy Group.

Tata Power registers its 50.4MW wind power project under the CDM

Tata Power, India's largest integrated power utility, today announced the successful registration of its 50.4MW wind power project at Samana, Gujarat, under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) programme of UNFCCC.

Green light for 288MW wind farm in Scotland

Iberdrola, through its British subsidiary ScottishPower Renewables (SPR), has received consent from the Scottish Government to construct Kilgallioch wind farm in Scotland.

Call for wind industry to sign up to new framework for wind energy project assessments in bid to boost transparency

A newly published framework document, developed over two years in collaboration with leading consultants and developers, will lead to more transparency and advancements in the quantification of wind energy project losses and uncertainties, according to DNV KEMA.

crystalsol receives €8m funding to develop flexible PV

crystalsol has received €8m from a variety of investors including Arax Capital Partners and public funds, to continue its development of a new type of flexible photovoltaic film.

ABB wins UK greenfield contracts ABB wins UK greenfield contracts

ABB has been awarded contracts to supply solar inverters for two large-scale greenfield PV projects in the United Kingdom.

MTI invests in Oxford Photovoltaics MTI invests in Oxford Photovoltaics

Cleantech investment specialists MTI Partners have invested £2m in Oxford Photovoltaics Limited (OPV), a spin-out company from the University of Oxford that is commercialising its solid-state dye sensitized solar cells for the Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) sector.

Wind energy market shows continued expansion, says GWEC

According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the wind energy market in 2012 had annual growth of almost 10%, and cumulative capacity growth of about 19%.

HgCapital sells wind power portfolio to Blue Energy

Renewables-focused investment group HgCapital has sold its 177MW wind portfolio, including the developer RidgeWind, to UK renewables investor Blue Energy, for a sum of £250 million.

Scotland aims to cut power carbon emissions by four fifths by 2030

Scotland has set a new decarbonisation target to cut carbon emissions from power generation by over four fifths by 2030, in an effort to optimise Scotland’s huge potential for offshore wind beyond 2020.

Upsolar launches “smart” PV modules in UK

Upsolar has launched its “smart” solar PV modules – which contain solar PV optimisers made by Tigo Energy - in the UK for the first time, the company said last week.

Gamesa secures design certification for 5MW offshore wind turbine

Gamesa has secured independent design certification for its G128 5MW offshore wind turbine, paving the way for the company to install the first prototype of the model in an offshore setting.

Italy’s Deliceto wind farm commissioned

A 24MW wind farm in the heel of Italy is now grid connected and operating, following the installation of 16 1.5MW turbines.

Mega UK offshore wind turbine test rig on track for summer launch

A new offshore wind turbine testing rig – billed as “one of the world’s largest facilities for the accelerated life testing of offshore wind turbines” – is on track for a summer launch at the UK renewable energy test facility Narec, the test site reported late last week.

UKH2Mobility project maps out future of hydrogen fuel cell cars, with 1.6 million on UK roads by 2030

The UKH2Mobility project has released the results of its Phase 1 interim report, evaluating the benefits of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and paving the way for commercial rollout in the UK.

EWEA predicts wind power for 9 million households in Eastern Europe by 2020 EWEA predicts wind power for 9 million households in Eastern Europe by 2020

Wind power in Central and Eastern Europe will become a significant source of electricity production by 2020 and Turkey’s wind power generation capacity will grow even faster, provided there is a stable legal framework in each country, according to a new report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).