A prosecutor in the southern Italian city of Brindisi has filed criminal charges against Suntech and its Global Solar Fund, adding to a growing list of criminal and civil charges that could destroy the company. The charges follow on revelation of an alleged $700 million investment fraud perpetrated by GSF that implicates Suntech senior executives. […]
Solar PV trade disputes between China and its main trading partners are escalating, as a group of German solar companies, led by SolarWorld AG, filed a WTO anti-dumping petition with the European Commission. The filing heightens tensions and divisions among industry participants, who have been put under increasing pressure as a result of a massive build-up in solar PV supply and manufacturing capacity, the bulk of which has come from China. […]
An industry-wide roadmap for solar PV manufacturers and equipment suppliers is set to emerge in 2013, benefiting downstream market participants, customers, and investors, according to NPD Solarbuzz, even as overcapacity and an industry shake-out continue into 2013. […]
Other than the solar energy news we’ve already posted on, here’s some more solar energy news from the last week or so from around the cleantech interwebs: Solar Technology News Solar nanowire array may increase percentage of sun’s frequencies available for energy conversion. Changing the concentration of indium allows … [continued]
I was on a conference call yesterday with Tom Kimbis, Vice President of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and Shayle Kann, Vice President of Research at GTM Research. The conference call was for the announcement of the latest US Solar Market Insight report (for Q1 2012), which Josh had a great summary of earlier … [continued]
China’s new 12th Five-Year Plan clearly shows that rather than striving to comply with internationally agreed-upon trade rules, the Chinese government is intent on dominating solar PV and wind energy manufacturing globally. China’s new plan will direct some $1.5 trillion into solar PV manufacturing export, with polysilicon, thin-film CIGS solar PV producers and equipment manufacturers now squarely in its sights.
Renewable energy and clean tech present great opportunities to revitalize US manufacturing, potential that’s recognized by a growing group of business and political leaders, including the Obama administration. […]
Demand was initially brisk for the high-end monocrystalline silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) panels manufactured by Helios Solar Works at a new, highly automated 50-MW capacity factory on a brownfield industrial site Milwaukee’s city leaders designated for redevelopment and growth. That is until last summer, when founder Steven Ostrenga began noting “a deep dive in [solar panel] pricing coming out of China that we just couldn’t meet.”
Leading venture capital firms are pumping an additional $55 million to fund the Colorado-based thin-film CIGS solar PV manufacturer’s expansion plans despite all the turmoil roiling the global solar energy market and industry.
Locally Grown Power and IdealPV are partnering with Mansfield, Ohio’s NECIC to launch the first of what it believes can be a series of local, community-centered, and vertically integrated solar photovoltaic (PV) businesses. Private and public in nature, NECIC and Locally Grown Power’s public-private business development model addresses several critical issues faced by communities across the county: job creation, local government fiscal problems, and the rising cost of energy amongst them.
