Vermont's largest public solar initiative underway

WILLISTON, USA: AllEarth Renewables announced that it has initiated the construction on nearly 5 megawatts of projects utilizing its dual-axis solar tracker systems to provide power to 12 state government facilities in Vermont.

The facilities include each of the state's correctional facilities and several state office buildings, including the office of Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin.

The ground-mounted solar systems will provide emissions-free, net metered solar electricity for each facility at below market rates through long-term energy contracts, and represents the state's largest public solar initiative to date.

Each of the 500-kilowatt (ac) solar projects will be constructed utilizing AllSun Trackers, which track the sun throughout the day to maximize energy production.  They are manufactured in Williston, Vt. by AllEarth Renewables.

The initial three, 500-kilowatt (ac) projects, which are scheduled to be completed in 2014, will each feature 1,560 SunPower 345-watt solar panels manufactured by SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR), a leading solar technology and global energy services provider based in Silicon Valley, Calif.

The initiative will produce more than 7 million kilowatt hours of energy for state buildings each year.

"The combination of our premium, American-made dual-axis trackers with high performance SunPower solar panels is a perfect match," said president and CEO of AllEarth Renewables David Blittersdorf.  "By utilizing our tracking technology with high efficiency SunPower panels, we can maximize production within the state's net metering limit, boosting the total solar savings for the State of Vermont and the economic returns for each project.  It's a real winning combination."

Governor Shumlin visited Northeast State Correctional Facility in St. Johnsbury, Vt. today where the first 500kW project featuring AllSun Trackers and SunPower solar panels is under construction.

Color-changing solar lantern this year's holiday gift

NEW YORK, USA: MPOWERD Inc. announced that people can now add cordless, colorful illumination to just about any occasion with its much-anticipated color-changing Luci Aura inflatable solar lantern.

Designed to make any indoor or outdoor event special Luci Aura ($24.99) has seven luminous hues plus classic white and can cycle through multiple colors (like a modern lava lamp) or settle on one favorite shade.

"We've been expanding our family of Luci solar lighting to meet fast-growing demand – for everything from home decor and emergency preparedness to camping and fishing," said John Salzinger, MPOWERD co-founder and executive VP. "Our new multi-colored, multi-use and multi-faceted Luci Aura is perfect for patio and pool parties, dorm rooms, mood lighting, festivals, holiday decoration and corporate social responsibility initiatives. The fun wow-factor of this lantern translates throughout the global market."

Luci Aura first wowed crowds earlier this year at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) where MPOWERD also received a ShowShoppers Envisioneering Innovation & Design Award. The building demand for MPOWERD's unique lantern has many predicting that Luci Aura will be this year's holiday "It" gift. The official MTV VMA Awards recently reinforced this prediction by providing Luci Aura as an exclusive celebrity gift at its ceremony in late August 2014.

Consumers wanting to be among the first to get their hands on Luci Aura can pre-order the solar lanterns at www.mpowerd.com/order. Orders are expected to be shipped to customers early October 2014. The colorful new lantern will also debut in selected retailers across the US before the holiday season.

OCI Solar Power firing up three new Texas solar projects

SAN ANTONIO, USA: OCI Solar Power is adding 145 megawatts (MW) of solar power to Texas' energy mix this year that will generate power for approximately 25,000 homes annually.

"The progress we're making with the opening and construction of new projects means more than half of our Texas projects are now complete or underway," said OCI Solar Power President and CEO Tony Dorazio. "This also means the number of solar jobs in the state is increasing."

The newly operational Alamo 4 project in Brackettville, Texas, generates 39 MW for CPS Energy, San Antonio's community-owned utility. The solar farm features more than 150,000 solar panels and covers 600 acres of privately-owned land. Alamo 4 is OCI Solar Power's first Texas project outside of metropolitan San Antonio and employed approximately 550 people during construction.

With the commencement of operations of Alamo 4 comes the start of construction for Alamo 3 in San Antonio and Alamo 5 in Uvalde, Texas. OCI Solar Power is again partnering with the San Antonio River Authority to lease land for the 5.5 MW Alamo 3 project near Loop 1604 and IH10 on the northeast side of town. Alamo 3 will be the first Alamo project to feature locally made solar panels from manufacturing partner Mission Solar Energy and a new dual axis tracker technology from Sun Action Trackers. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Lucrative opportunities in Saudi Arabia's off-grid, hybrid solar markets

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA: Off-grid solar photovoltaic applications and hybrid solutions have already demonstrated their technical and economic feasibility in many parts of the world. These applications are even more relevant in Saudi Arabia because of the Kingdom's superlative solar radiation, industrial penetration into remote areas, and the staggering volume of diesel imports.

Nearly a quarter of the Saudi energy grid is currently powered by diesel, which is used extensively as a fuel for transportation and electricity generation despite the high cost of importing it. At least $1 billion is spent every month on diesel imports to the Kingdom, in addition to the cost and emissions from transporting the fuel to remote areas.

"In Saudi Arabia, there are weaknesses in electricity grid connection; the demand is huge and the load as well," says Sabri Asfour, GM of FAS Energy, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Fawaz Alhokair Group with 2,400 MW of GCC-based solar projects in the pipeline.

As a result, the idea of using PV-generated electricity to offset diesel usage - or to replace it altogether as energy storage costs decline - is becoming increasingly appealing for utilities and industrial corporations, especially those keen on eliminating the uncertainty of future energy costs.

"There are many business areas without electricity and they are waiting for their turn to be connected to the grid, but unfortunately, the queue is long. At FAS Energy, we build small, medium and large-scale hybrid power plants. It is well known that Saudi Arabia's solar irradiation is the best in the region so we have to use it," highlights Asfour, who will be speaking at the second edition of the Desert Solar Saudi Arabia conference that will be held from 17-18 September.

Building on the success of the first Desert Solar Conference, the event is once again gathering stakeholders in the Saudi Arabian solar energy market, hosting more than 150 decision makers from across the industry. The distinguished panel of speakers includes executives from Air Liquide MENA, E.ON, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), Tokyo Electron Taiwan, as well as Solairedirect and First Solar.

SunEdison and Los Pelambres Mine (Antofagasta Minerals) to supply solar electric power in Chile

BELMONT, USA: SunEdison Inc. has reached an agreement for the long-term sale of power to Los Pelambres. The mine is owned by Antofagasta Minerals S.A., the largest private mining group in Chile and one of the nine largest copper-producers in the world.

Under the agreement SunEdison will supply the power produced by the Javiera solar photovoltaic project, with a capacity of 69.5 megawatts (MW) DC, for operations at Los Pelambres mine.

This project demonstrates the competitiveness of solar energy in Chile, especially in the Chilean mining and industry market, where SunEdison has innovated to deliver cost savings by transforming how energy is generated.

Jose Perez, president of SunEdison for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, said: "An agreement is being signed between two global industry leading companies that believe in a more sustainable future for Chile. This landmark project reinforces SunEdison's ability to offer competitive, innovative and sustainable energy solutions to its customers and reaffirms SunEdison's leading role in Latin America."

The Javiera power plant, located in the Atacama Region, is already under construction and is expected to be connected to the grid in the first months of 2015. The project will deliver all its electricity to the Central Interconnected System (SIC) and will supply Los Pelambres, a copper concentrate and molybdenum mine located in the Coquimbo Region. The term of the contract between the two companies is 20 years.

Dominion Virginia Power adds first solar demo site in Central Virginia

RICHMOND, USA: Dominion Virginia Power continues to add megawatts to its Solar Partnership Program by installing 240 photovoltaic panels on the rooftop of Virginia Union University's Thomas H. Henderson Center.

The system will be capable of generating about 70 kilowatts of electricity – enough to power nearly 18 homes. The Henderson Center serves as the central hub for student activities at the university.

"Dominion Virginia Power is making important strides in the solar energy arena," said Ken Barker, VP of Customer Solutions. "Businesses and educational institutions in the state, such as Virginia Union University, have shown they are as dedicated to the development of renewable energy as we are. We are thankful for their support and enthusiasm."

The installation at Virginia Union University is considered a demonstration site under Dominion's Solar Partnership Program. Demonstration sites are strategically selected locations that offer community benefits by providing opportunities for customer outreach and education of solar technologies.

PowerSecure, a North Carolina-based company with offices in Virginia, has been selected as the engineering, procurement and construction company.

LG Electronics USA and Borrego Solar join forces

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, USA: LG Electronics USA has joined forces with solar industry leader Borrego Solar Systems Inc. to significantly expand the presence of LG's high-efficiency solar modules in the US commercial market.

Under the agreement, LG will supply 24 megawatts (MW) of its popular Mono X series solar panels, led by the award-winning LG Mono X NeON modules, through 2015 to Borrego Solar, which will sell to the commercial sector as an LG preferred strategic commercial integrator in North America.

The collaboration aligns with the market's maturation and the move toward higher efficiency products in the commercial sector, while bringing North American customers the greatest value and highest quality photovoltaic (PV) modules on the market. The agreement also adds a greater number of LG Electronics' bankable products to Borrego Solar's portfolio.

LG's Mono X series modules lead the way in solar panel quality and reliability. The Mono X NeON modules, which already have exceptional market traction, are among the lightest modules on the market, delivering high-efficiency output of up to 305 watts with 18.6 percent module efficiency. The Mono X NeON produces energy from both the front and back, which raises cell efficiency.
Through new semiconductor technology application for doping and surface treatment processes, cell imperfections have been minimized while uniformity has been maximized, resulting in the Mono X NeON's 21 percent increase in cell efficiency.