Solar City roundup, Abu Dhabi heats up

Highlighting the news from Solar City this week was the announcement that Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-based Masdar PV plans to invest more than $2 billion in thin-film photovoltaic solar technology in a three-phased strategy to produce thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules, and inked a deal (possibly $600 million) with Applied Materials for three of its SunFab thin film lines.

In other PV news, it was exciting to see the first Gen 8.5 thin film solar PV module that Signet Solar completed at its factory near Dresden, Germany, which was manufactured on Applied’s SunFab equipment (pictured below).

The panel (pictured below) measures 5.7 square meters.

Signet said it finished construction on its 200,000 square foot production facility in only seven months, then completed installation of equipment and started initial fabrication in less than three months. The initial modules from the SunFab manufacturing line met the specification of the product and were confirmed by independent testing at the Fraunhofer Institute. Signet said it will start prototype production in early June. Commercial production is slated for Q3 and Signet plans to expand capacity to more than 100MW by 2009.

Next, German solar cell giant Q-Cells said it has chosen Silicon Border Science Park, located in Mexicali, Mexico, for its next major expansion and joins the company’s primary manufacturing facility in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany. Q-Cells said it picked Silicon Border Science Park for its American manufacturing site because of its strategic location and business-friendly environment. Construction is set to begin in Q4. The company will spend up to $3.5 billion in facility and plant investments.

To build 100MW of module manufacturing capacity in China, Dix Hills, NY-based Solar Thin Films Inc, manufacturing equipment maker for the production of "thin-film" amorphous silicon and CIGS photovoltaic modules said it signed a memorandum of understanding with China Singyes Holding Limited and will supply equipment, technology and general engineering and design support, as well as retain certain rights outside of China to market and distribute building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products.

Solar Thin Films said it expects to install the equipment through 2011, with initial production and sale of BIPV products possibly starting next year.

As a side note, Solar Thin Films and China Singyes are currently minority shareholders and board members of CG Solar, a “thin-film” module manufacturing company located in Weihai, China, that utilizes equipment produced by Solar Thin Films.

Winemakers go solar

Glad to see wineries are getting onboard with solar. Napa Valley wine producer Far Niente said this week it has gone live with its Floatovoltaic solar array, which was designed and installed by SPG Solar Inc of Novato, Calif., with technology developed by Thompson Technology Industries Inc also of Novato, that couples photovoltaic (PV) energy with water, saving valuable vineyard acreage from being used for land-mounted arrays. The Floatovoltaic solar array (pictured below) floats on the winery’s irrigation pond and involves securing nearly 1,000 Sharp solar panels on pontoons that float on the winery’s vineyard irrigation pond. Combined with a section of about 1,300 panels located on land adjacent to the pond, the array will generate 400 kilowatts at peak output, enough to offset the winery’s annual power usage and provide a net-zero energy bill.

California prison powers up 1.18MW solar plant

In Blythe, Calif., Ironwood State Prison and SunEdison (which closed $131 million of private equity and $30 million of debt financing with new and existing investors over the last six months) the activation of a 1.18 megawatt ground-mounted photovoltaic solar power system, seen below.

The photovoltaic system is expected to deliver 2.4 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean energy in the first year of operation, and was deployed through a public-private partnership between the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and SunEdison, which said it financed, constructed and will operate the solar energy system so that the CDCR avoids all upfront capital costs and will purchase the solar energy at predictable prices equal to or less than current retail rates.

Ironwood is the second PV system SunEdison is managing under an SPSA for CDCR. In June 2006, SunEdison reminded that it activated a 1.16 MW solar power system at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison which has produced more than 3.7 million kWh since commercial activation.

And one last thing, who knew Apple had a solar strategy?