SOLAR: company news
Italy is forecast to install close to 1GW in PV systems in the fourth quarter
The Italian solar market is predicted to witness a doubling of installations in 2011, as global investment flows into the country, according to the latest research. US-based market research firm iSuppli said Italy’s photovoltaic (PV) market was going into overdrive as it entered the fourth quarter. It has forecast that the country will install just under 1GW – 975MW of photovoltaic systems in the fourth quarter, which is double that installed in the third quarter. Installations in the third financial period in 2010 equated to 487MW, which was already a big increase on the 239MW installed in the fourth quarter of 2009.
‘This fourth-quarter surge will cause installations in 2010 to rise to 1.9GW, up 100 per cent from 720 GW in 2009,’ it said in its latest report. This period of continuous growth of the Italian solar market now sets the stage for another doubling in 2011, with installations rising to 3.9GW. Dr Henning Wicht, senior director and principal analyst for PV systems at iSuppli, said, ‘The strong fourth-quarter growth represents a breakthrough for Italian PV installations, which until now had been limited to 300MW or less, with the expansion propelled by installers rushing to take advantage of an Italian government subsidy scheduled to expire soon.’
Xtreme Power, Xcel, SolarTAC look into utilityscale solar storage Energy storage provider Xtreme Power and US utility Xcel Energy plan to install a 1MW system to collect operational data on the integration of energy storage and solar energy systems at the Solar Technology Acceleration Centre (SolarTAC). The project aims to display the results of integrating storage systems with photovoltaic (PV) solar installations, to more efficiently incorporate energy output from renewable sources into the power grid. Results will be made public to reflect the system’s performance over the course of three years. ‘Taking part in the SolarTAC project with Xcel Energy affords us an opportunity to work alongside one of the most progressive utilities in the industry,’ said Carlos Coe, CEO of Xtreme Power. ‘We expect the results to highlight the broad range of benefits battery energy storage brings to PV manufacturers, project developers and power producers, ultimately enabling a more effective utilisation of clean energy around the world.’
solar news
Italy’s solar market hits unprecedented boom
Solar Power to build 5MW solar system in US Solar Power has been contracted to design, engineer and construct a 5MW rooftop system for installation on a warehouse in Carteret, New Jersey, owned by New York-based private equity firm KTR Capital Partners. NuGen Capital Management and KDC Solar, who have formed a joint venture to own and operate the system, selected Solar Power for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the project. In addition to performing as EPC contractor, Solar Power will also monitor and service the power plant once completed. ‘This installation will be one of the largest systems of its type in the nation,’ said Steve Kircher, chairman and CEO of Solar Power. ‘More importantly, the project allows us to continue to develop our presence and portfolio in the north-eastern US.’ The warehouse building serves as corporate offices of New
www.EnvirotechInvestor.com
Jersey-based wholesaler White Rose Food, and as a hub in the company’s distribution network. The project is scheduled to begin in January 2011 and conclude early in the second half of the year. KDC Solar was originally a subsidiary of Kamine Development, which builds, owns and operates co-generation gas fired power plants in the eastern US. KDC Solar is supported by an allocation of $225m in equity from Diamond Castle Holdings, a New York-based private equity fund with more than $1.8bn of capital under management. Solar Power is a vertically integrated producer, manufacturing its own solar panels at a facility in Shenzhen in southern China, before installing them in the US. The company is about to complete a rooftop system for Fox Studios in California.
35