[amor de cosmos]

SolarCity Opts for an Outside Developer on Calif. Commercial-Scale Solar Projects
Solar’s biggest installer uses Mercatus’ deal assessment software to improve its commercial game.
Herman K. Trabish
April 4, 2014

A just-completed 4-megawatt project and a just-announced 2.4-megawatt project, both on land owned by the city of Lancaster, Calif., are among the first of SolarCity’s commercial projects to involve a partnership with an outside developer.

Topco is the kind of experienced developer that SolarCity’s in-house team saw as being capable of bringing in bankable commercial-scale opportunities.

Topco did all the initial work, according to Erik Fogelberg, SolarCity's VP of commercial development. It found the vacant land, made the deals with the city, created the initial array designs, and opened negotiations on the PPAs with Southern California Edison via SCE's CREST feed-in tariff program. Still, Fogelberg said, the SolarCity team had to vet every detail.

Fogelberg said that prior to the formation of the partnership, he had already begun to suspect that there had to be “a better process” by which to assess the viability of potential projects. Around the same time, he was approached by Mercatus COO Tim Buchner about that company's digital deal room.

“In my four-plus years at SolarCity, we have avoided working with third-party developers, because you can waste a lot of time on deals that will never happen,” Fogelberg said. “But there are also good ones out there.”

Fogelberg and his SolarCity development team, which has built over 1,000 commercial-scale projects in-house, agree that the Mercatus software “streamlined and optimized” the due diligence process. It also allowed them to find opportunities hidden among the many stranded projects in developers’ pipelines.

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...olar-in-Lancas

Fastest Quarterly Growth in Polysilicon Prices Since 2010
Blended prices have hit $21.60 per kilogram and are expected to keep rising.
Mike Munsell
April 4, 2014

Blended polysilicon pricing grew 8 percent quarter-over-quarter, increasing from $20 per kilogram in the final quarter of 2013 to an estimated $21.60 per kilogram in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest PV Pulse. This surpasses the comparatively incremental price increase of 4 percent seen from the third to the fourth quarter of 2013.

Accelerated polysilicon price growth in Q1 2014 was largely due to inventory restocking and low production levels during the Chinese New Year.

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...ces-Since-2010

Trina Solar to spend US$213 million to meet capacity expansion targets in 2014
By Mark Osborne - 03 April 2014, 21:51
In News, Fab & Facilities, Cell Processing, PV Modules, Finance

Major PV manufacturer Trina Solar is expecting capital expenditure to reach US$213 million in 2014 as it targets expansion of capacity from ingot/wafer through to 1GW of extra module capacity.

The company previously guided capacity expansions in its recent fourth quarter 2013 earnings call, which included increasing ingot/wafer production to 1.7GW, cell production to 3GW and module production to 3.8GW by the end of the year.

However, the company had also guided capital expenditure to reach between US$230 million to US$250 million in 2014, but in its 2013 Annual Report, Trina Solar said spending would be up to US$231 million to meet its expansion plans.

Although the planned spending is at the low point of guidance, Trina Solar spent only US$72.1 million on CapEx in 2013, down from US$141.1 million in 2012.

http://www.pv-tech.org/news/trina_so..._targets_in_20

Guess Who Is Buying Solar PV?
Jennifer Runyon
April 04, 2014

About six months ago, I had the pleasure of taking part in the unveiling of preliminary insights about who is driving the purchasing of solar PV in the home. At the time, researchers Raina Russo of #SolarChat and Glenna Wiseman of Identity3 had compiled some initial results from their survey of America women and mothers about solar power buying habits. Though the survey was still open at the time, Russo and Wiseman had already uncovered some pretty fascinating data, including the fact that the majority of the time, women are the main drivers behind the decision to go solar.

Its been widely documented that today about 80 percent of women are the bill-payers and the controllers of the family budget so the fact that women are the ones initiating the decision to investigate solar should not come as a big surprise. After all, putting solar PV on a home can often reduce utility bills from day one according to major solar leasing companies like Sunrun.

However, what is surprising is that according to the latest National Solar Jobs Census, women only represent 20 percent of the solar workforce. That could lead to a real disconnect, as far as Russo is concerned. “This is my personal opinion but it is based on my experience with this data and by talking to women all across the U.S.,” she explained. “We need more women in the solar workforce and we need to market to women.” Russo said that of course she doesn’t think that means that men cannot sell products and services to women, but asks “would it make a difference if a woman was at that kitchen table talking about the benefits of solar PV? Maybe.”

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...uying-solar-pv

Sungevity Receives $70 Million from Investors for Global Rooftop Solar Expansion
Justin Doom, Bloomberg
April 04, 2014

NEW YORK -- Sungevity Inc., a closely held developer of rooftop systems, received $70 million from a group of investors including EON SE and General Electric Co. to expand in Europe and Australia.

Sungevity, based in Oakland, California, will also use the funds to improve its online customer-acquisition service, Chief Executive Officer Andrew Birch said in an interview.

Sungevity and competitors including SolarCity Corp. and Sunrun Inc. provide rooftop solar systems at little to no upfront cost. The business is threatening traditional utilities because solar customers buy less electricity from their local power companies. The investment shows that some utilities may be starting to adopt an if-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them attitude, Birch said.

“It could be a pivotal moment in the solar industry when you see one of the great utilities make an investment like this after years of centralized energy,” Birch said.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...olar-expansion
http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/04/sun...ness-globally/

Solar Innovation: Two Big Steps Forward for Solar Efficiency Rates
Posted on April 4 2014 by Garrett Hering

Editor’s note: This is the latest in our monthly series on innovations in solar technology, as well as how and when — if ever — these new developments will shape the market.

This month’s roundup of leading solar innovations and breakthroughs in solar technology highlights two innovations at established solar equipment and module manufacturers that have real near-term potential to boost sunlight conversion efficiencies for crystalline solar cells – with albeit incremental gains. Also explored is a new record efficiency for an organic PV cell.
Merlin works his crystalline magic

Developer: GT Advanced Technologies

How it works: PV manufacturing equipment supplier GT Advanced Technologies in mid-March announced a new “flexible grid” metallization and interconnect technology targeted at solar cell producers. Marketed under the name “Merlin,” the production line add-on can be integrated into existing solar cell manufacturing lines, enabling producers to replace the traditional three silver bus bars on solar cells with thinner grid fingers. This produces less shading on a solar cell – meaning that more sunlight can be absorbed by the active crystalline-silicon semiconductor material and converted into electricity.

What it promises: According to GT, the manufacturing technology has the potential to cut expensive silicon paste used in the production of crystalline solar cells by up to 80 percent. It also can eliminate the need for cell stringing and tabbing machines used to produce modules – further reducing manufacturing costs. Eliminating shading has the potential to improve the efficiency of conventional crystalline PV cells. The New Hampshire-based company claims that modules made from cells relying on its Merlin technology will be more reliable and durable because the new flexible grid structure is more resistant to cell cracking.



Back-contact solar cells

Developers: Trina Solar Ltd. and the Australian National University (ANU)

How it works: Researchers from Chinese crystalline silicon producer Trina Solar and ANU’s Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems have developed a so-called interdigitated back-contact (IBC) silicon solar cell capable of converting an impressive 24.4 percent of sunlight into electricity. IBC cells are a type of rear-contact solar cell that achieves higher efficiency by putting both contacts on the back of the cell, thus eliminating shading.

What it promises: If successfully transferred from the laboratory into commercial production, this could mean that a larger percentage of higher-efficiency solar cells will become available – since Trina is one of the world’s largest PV manufacturers.



Record-efficiency organic PV

Developers: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, IMEC International, Fraunhofer ISE, Imperial College, Corning SAS and others

How it works: Funded by a grant from the European Union, Belgian research institute IMEC International in March presented its laboratory-scale organic solar cell with a sunlight conversion efficiency of 8.4 percent – a record for this type of solar cell. IMEC achieved the record efficiency by stacking three layers of active semiconductor materials that boosted the potential sunlight absorption spectrum. IMEC’s approach does not use fullerenes, which are the most common acceptor material in organic PV cells – which, however, aren’t common at all.

What it promises: IMEC’s laboratory achievement is a signal that perhaps organic PV cells shouldn’t be completely ignored in the wake of several commercial failures in recent years – which were in part the result of the technology’s disappointing, low single-digit efficiencies. IMEC is a member of the EU-funded ArtESun collaborative effort to develop high efficiency organic solar cells capable of converting more than 15 percent of sunlight into electricity, along with roll-to-roll manufacturing equipment for this flexible solar cell.

http://solarenergy.net/News/solar-in...iciency-rates/

Solar Poll: 79% of Americans Want Solar to Replace Fossil Fuels
Posted on April 4 2014 by Scott Thill

Almost 80 percent of American consumers favor solar as their renewable energy champ, but 71 percent also have much love for wind power too.

That’s the major takeaway from Navigant Research‘s annual consumer survey, which in fall 2013 averaged 1,000 respondents’ favorability towards “clean energy, clean transportation, smart grid, and building efficiency.” With interesting timing, Navigant’s poll results hit the presses this week alongside the IPCC’s terrifying tale of two futures. That apocalyptic report warned that further dirty fuel consumption and investment will doom the world to planetary dystopia, while utopian renewables like solar and wind can save us, right now, from obsolete infrastructures and unsustainable habits.

The IPCC practically demanded an international pivot to renewables, which is no problem because “solar energy is one of the most popular and least controversial green technologies in the eyes of consumers,” Navigant managing director Clint Wheelock explained in a statement.

What Wheelock didn’t say but seems apparent is that previous declines in interest in alternative energy solutions from Americans over the last few years have predictably rebounded as our so-called natural gas boom has proven to be a climate change bust. This also explains why Navigant’s survey found that 67 percent of Americans favored hybrids and 61 percent favored electric cars, while only 54 percent were into natural gas vehicles.

http://solarenergy.net/News/solar-po...-fossil-fuels/

New UK PV manufacturing plant opens
By Lucy Woods | 04 April 2014, 15:28

SunSolar Energy has officially opened its 75MW module manufacturing facility in Oldbury, Birmingham.

The company teamed up with toolmaker Meyer Burger to install a production line capable of building 60- and 72-cell modules.

The facility which currently employs 150 people will employ 600 by 2015.

Cutting the ribbon, climate change minister Greg Barker said that the facility was “sending a strong signal for manufacturing in Britain today”.

During the ribbon cutting Barker also announced the launch of the new “ambitious Solar Strategy” adding that solar in the UK is “increasingly mature”.

“The coalition is publishing a real testament to the huge leap forward solar has made, and recently deployed in the UK.”

Barker said the UK is “not just deploying but have a strategy to reach out, and build the UK supply chain”.

Reza Shaybani, BPVA chairman added: “We are delighted to see one of our members has set up a PV manufacturing here in the UK at such an exciting time in the industry. Now that the government is supporting the industry extremely well, it is time for the industry to also play its part and look forward to the future. As the UK has always been highly regarded for its manufacturing past we want to bring back manufacturing which will help grow the local and national economy, in turn creating more jobs.

http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/ne...ant_opens_2356

Exclusive: Time for solar investors to turn attention to rooftops, says Barker
By Lucy Woods | 04 April 2014, 14:46

Investors must focus their attention on rooftop projects, UK climate minister Greg Barker has told Solar Power Portal.

Speaking at the launch of the Solar Strategy at the SunSolar Energy module manufacturing facility opening in Birmingham today, the minister said it was time for a shift in priorities.

“New investor focus must be: onsite generation, whether domestic roofs - we’re aiming for one million – or industrial rooftops,” he said.

Barker confirmed there are no changes to the renewable obligation or feed-in tariff programmes on the immediate horizon.

“What we are announcing today and making the focus for growth going forward is for the mid size market and domestic,” he said.

The Solar Strategy included a reference to funding for the booming large-scale market which “has the potential to affect the financial incentives budget under the levy control framework”.

The minister moved to ease fears over cuts for existing ground mount projects: “If you are already invested, you are already invested – this is about where we go from here.”

Barker said the step away from ground mount solar is to “avoid solar becoming the new onshore wind – from pushing too many insensitively placed sites...[the strategy] is not to say that in the right place, large arrays can’t work, particularly Brownfield sites, but local planning must be respected”.

Barker also stressed that the Strategy is not just about deployment. He added that the UK is “not just deploying but [must] have a strategy to reach out, and build the UK supply chain.

“Clean energy is an essential part of our long term economic plan to play a part in the decades ahead for UK prosperity,” Barker said reiterating the government’s pledge to put solar on one million roofs by 2015.

http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/ne...ops_says_barke

Industry reacts to Solar Strategy
By Peter Bennett | 04 April 2014, 11:06

Below is a roundup of all the latest industry reaction to the new Solar Strategy published today:

http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/ne..._strategy_2356

Can New Jersey repower its solar market?
By Kathy Larsen
April 4, 2014

Dive Brief:

• A report recommends that New Jersey look at a range of options for re-accelerating its solar power market -- from doing nothing to establishing a "green bank" to help finance new solar installations to promoting more competitive procurement of long-term contracts.
• Once No. 2 in the country for solar installations, the state has slipped to No. 5, partly because its extremely favorable "solar credits" program created a rush of deployments that in turn led to a credit-price crash, and less deployment.
• Credit prices have rebounded to some extent and solar installations are coming back. The concern is that a boom-bust cycle pattern will continue. The federal investment tax credit for solar is scheduled to drop from 30% to 10% in 2016, which could mean a deployment rush before that time.

Dive Insight:

There's no consensus among solar advocates yet about what should be done to revive the market, or even whether anything at all should be done. The matter of boom-bust cycles in solar credit prices may be inescapable unless a new regulatory intervention in that construct can be devised. The federal investment tax credit issue is out of New Jersey's hands. Some interests in Congress want to change the 2016 drop from 30% to 10%, but the effort won't be taken up until lawmakers address comprehensive tax reform, and its fate at that time is unreadable.

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/can-...market/247352/

The Future Of Solar: Solar Power To Surge in 2014?
By David Glenn

The 2014 Annual National Solar Conference is being held July 6–10 at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco. There, established minds and up-and-coming experts will address new developments in the field of solar energy. But come on. The photovoltaic effect—the basic process that allows for the harnessing of solar radiation for electrical energy needs—has been old news for about 175 years, and the first commercial solar cells hit the market during the mid 1950s, is there really anything new about solar cells that will be worth discussing in 2014?

Well, yes, actually. And the thoughts that the experts bounce around will have the potential to really change the world, and not only for governments and corporations, but for everyday homeowners. See, solar power may be old news, but it’s news that residents around the world are finally starting to embrace. Below are three reasons that solar power is poised to become the next big thing in 2014 and beyond.

1. Decreased Costs

2. New Advances in Technology

3. Increased Awareness

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/05/...er-surge-2014/

Energy Storage: Bank On It
Jane Weissman
April 04, 2014

Storage is cool. It's so ingrained in our daily lives that it's invisible. From the pantry closet and fridge storing our food to fuel tanks in our homes and cars, storage gives us the advantage to have something when we need it. It's there waiting to be used.

So, doesn't it make a lot of sense to store excess power from photovoltaics and other distributed generation resources to provide backup during outages? And, wouldn't storage change the intermittent nature of PV on cloudy days and at night into a more dispatchable resource? Couldn’t it also provide other grid services to help maintain power quality and reliability?

What's holding distributed storage back? Why can't a home with a solar roof keep its lights on during the storm that puts the rest of the street in the dark?

To get a handle on some of the issues on the table, I tapped the expertise of two very smart colleagues, Chris Cook and Sky Stanfield.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/.../04/bank-on-it