RICHMOND, VA —(eSolarEnergyNews)—  Dominion announced today it has acquired Pavant Solar, a 50-megawatt solar energy project, from juwi solar , a global renewable energy provider with U.S. operations based in Boulder, Colo. Pavant Solar, located in Millard County, is Dominion’s first solar development in Utah and is expected to enter service in the second half of 2015.

David A. Christian, chief executive officer of Dominion Generation, said, «Solar energy is the key component of Dominion’s growth in renewable generating capacity. We are delighted to expand our solar footprint into Utah.»

The project has secured a 20-year power purchase agreement and an interconnection agreement. JSI Construction Group has been awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction contract, and JSI OM Group will monitor and maintain the project on behalf of Dominion during the initial years of operation.

With the addition of Pavant Solar, Dominion has 324 megawatts of solar generating capacity in development, under construction or in operation in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Tennessee and Utah. Dominion Virginia Power, an electric utility serving 2.5 million customer accounts in Virginia and northeast North Carolina, also has various projects in operation or under development as part of its Solar Partnership Program.

The company’s renewable portfolio also includes approximately 850 megawatts of capacity generated by biomass, water and wind. Those facilities are in Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

Dominion is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 23,600 megawatts of generation, 10,900 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,400 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation’s largest natural gas storage systems with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves utility and retail energy customers in 10 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company’s website at www.dom.com.

Polymer solar cells are a delicately controlled mixture of a polymer donor and a fullerene acceptor. The cell is created by adding a solvent to the polymer and fullerene until the mixture becomes a liquid, then spreading the liquid thinly onto a surface. As the solvent evaporates, the thin layer solidifies, with the donor material hardening into tiny, highly ordered «clumps» that are connected by other, disordered donor molecules, and the acceptor weaving around them. Currently the most efficient organic solar cells are manufactured using one of only two different fullerenes.

NC State physicist Harald Ade and postdoctoral researcher Wei Ma had previously studied the morphology of solar cells and found that the size scale of the clumps within the donor layer and the aggregation — or interaction between neighboring molecules within the layers — were the main drivers of solar cell efficiency.

In a paper published today in Nature Communications, Ade, Ma and a team of chemists from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology led by He Yan show that size scale and aggregation within these devices are strongly temperature dependent. They also show that record efficiencies of up to 10.8 percent — as opposed to the currently published 9.8 percent — are achievable with the substitution of numerous fullerenes. Additionally, this performance can be achieved in thick film devices.

«Once we saw how temperature affected the aggregation and morphology of these solar cells, it allowed the chemists more freedom to play with different chemical compositions in the active layer,» Ade says. «Yan’s team demonstrated 10 percent efficiency with 10different mixtures, and in thicker films. So these solar cells could be compatible with existing methods of mass production, like slot die casting and roll-to-roll processing similar to newspaper printing, rather than the more expensive production methods currently in use that are required for thickness control.

«We hope that these findings will allow others to experiment with different polymer:fullerene blends, further increasing the efficiency of solar cells, decreasing their production costs and leading to a commercially viable alternative source of energy.»

GUELPH, ONTARIO —(eSolarEnergyNews)— Canadian Solar, one of the world’s largest solar power companies, today announced that it has won 3 solar photovoltaic (PV) projects totaling 114 megawatts (MW) In Vazante, in the state in Minas Gerais in Brazil. Canadian Solar, in partnership with Solatio, will develop, build and own the solar power plants which, once connected to the grid, will sell the electricity generated to the Agencia Nacional de Energia Eletrica, a Brazilian government entity, under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement at R$216.12/MWh ($86.42/MWh).

«We entered the utility scale project development business to differentiate our business model, expand and stabilize our profit margins over the business cycle. We have since successfully leveraged our experience in Canada to expand our project business in key geographies. This win in Brazil is a testament to the strength of our project development capabilities, and positions us well to participate in the growth in demand for solar energy across the globe,» commented Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar.

«We are convinced that in order to be successful in such a demanding market as the energy sector in Brazil, it is absolutely mandatory to have profound local knowledge of the industry and the country as well as high-quality project developments, concepts on which Solatio has based its work from the very beginning in Brazil,» commented Pedro Vaquer, Solatio partner. «Undoubtedly, a collaboration agreement with a sound international player as Canadian Solar translates into the perfect combination for the success of our projects,» added Antonio Rodriguez, Solatio partner.

BELMONT, CA —(eSolarEnergyNews)—  SunEdison, a leading solar technology manufacturer and provider of solar energy services, and Irvine Unified School District, today announced the completion of three new solar installations at schools in Orange County, California. The school district now powers 22 schools with SunEdison solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, and expects to avoid an extra $5 million to $8 million in energy costs over the next 20 years. These avoided costs allow the school district to provide additional educational resources for their students now and for many years to come.

«We’re proud to announce that we are anticipating $5 million to $8 million on avoided energy costs over the next 20 years by working with SunEdison,» said Mark Sontag, director for math, science, and career technical education at Irvine Unified School District. «We accomplished this with zero up-front costs, and zero maintenance costs through a power purchase agreement (PPA) with SunEdison. That extra budget means more resources for our teachers and students. As the largest solar powered school district in Orange County with over 5.4 megawatts (MW) installed, we’re taking this opportunity to educate our children on the benefits solar energy can bring to the community.»

«The Irvine Unified School District is a wonderful success story and a role model for other school districts,» said Sam Youneszadeh, managing director of west coast distributed generation at SunEdison. «They’re inspiring to us, and we hope many more schools are able to follow their lead and invest more on education by reducing their energy bill.»

The Irvine Unified School District will be building new schools over the next 8 years to accommodate an anticipated 1,200 new students a year.  Building on their success, the school district is working with SunEdison and their architects to incorporate solar into the design of all new schools. SunEdison and its financing partners, including TerraForm Power (NASDAQ: TERP), a SunEdison Company, will be the owner-operators of the systems.

LAKEWOOD, CO —(eSolarEnergyNews)—Data released today by SolarReviews.com shows that despite stable wholesale prices of solar panels and the imposition of anti-dumping tariffs on some imported solar panels the average cost of solar energy has continued to fall over the last 12 months.

Solar Reviews collect solar price data through their market leading consumer information sites including Solar-Estimate.org and their solar panel information website SolarPanelTalk

The Solar Estimate site houses a solar calculator that has been used by more than 100,000 Americans to get a ballpark estimate of what a solar system will cost. Approximately 200 solar installers contribute to this estimator by entering into the site the cost per watt they charge for solar systems between the size of 1kw and 10kw. This gives Solar Estimate a unique vantage point from which to watch solar price movements.

Data is then cross referenced with solar price data entered by consumers into the leading solar discussion forum website SolarPanelTalk. Consumers enter quotes they receive from solar installers into this site to ask other members of the forum whether or not they have been offered a good deal.

“We continue to see a great disparity in pricing between states where solar incentives have created high demand and states where lower incentives or lower power costs mean lower demand. In states with low demand prices are significantly higher as installers in these states do not have economies of scale,” remarked Andrew Sendy, Chairman of Denver based SolarReviews.com , the owner of the Solar-Estimate.org and the SolarPanelTalk.com websites.

Mr Sendy commented further that, “the drop in retail prices has been surprising given that we have had stable wholesale prices for solar equipment followed by the imposition of tariffs on panels made with Chinese and Taiwanese cells.”

The fall in prices appears to be driven by increasing economies of scale among solar installers along with the effects of increasing competition.

Competition is being driven also by consumers use of websites such as SolarReviews, Solar-estimate.org and SolarPanelTalk. Consumers are able to use these and other similar sites to find out what a good price is for a solar system, the reputation of solar installers from whom they are getting quotes and to get peer feedback from other consumers who have already installed a solar system. The unprecedented access consumers now have to good information is also contributing to the downward movement of solar prices.

OAKLAND, CA —(eSolarEnergyNews)— Sungevity, Inc., a leading global provider of residential solar services, today announced new partnerships with three National Hockey League® teams, with the mission to encourage the adoption of solar solutions among hockey fans. Through its partnerships with the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks, Sungevity will provide fans with solar education and unique offers that make it easy to make the switch to solar.

With the partnerships, the NHL team fans “light the lamp,” scoring key solar resources and offers. In fact, every Kings, Sharks, or Ducks fan will receive $500 off a Sungevity solar energy plan. In addition to the $500 discount, each team’s fans will have access to special offers:

•         “Kings of the Sun” — As part of the promotion, any Kings fan who requests a Sungevity iQuote® between now and November 30th will be entered to win a grand prize package, featuring a two-night stay at a Los Angeles area resort; four skating passes and skate rentals to LA Kings Holiday Ice Rink; four tickets to one regular season Kings game; VIP meet-and-greet with Kings alumni, Bailey and ice crew; and pre-game recognition as the winner.
•         “The Frozen Tee Shirt Race” — On November 6, 2015, December 11, 2015, and April 3, 2015 during the regular season Sharks games, the team will host an on-ice promotion in which two contestants will compete to win a prize.
•         “Ducks Solar Seat Upgrade Presented by Sungevity” — Anaheim Ducks fans who request a Sungevity iQuote® between now and February 28, 2015 will be entered in a drawing each month between December 2014 and March 2015 to win 4 glass seat tickets to a regular season Duck’s game.

“Each step we take as a company is designed to make it easier for consumers everywhere to adopt solar power as a cost-effective, practical and sustainable solution. That’s why we’ve carefully built a broad network of partners that mirror our commitment to a better way of generating and consuming energy, and are proud to add these NHL teams to that roster,” said Renu Mathias, Director of Affinity Marketing, Sungevity. “Perhaps no other sport is more aware of the implications of climate change than hockey. We’re proud to support these three NHL teams as they educate their fans about a more sustainable way of life.”

First Solar builds large solar farms, mainly for utilities, and recognizes revenue at irregular periods. Chief Executive Officer Jim Hughes is pursuing orders for smaller utility projects and large commercial customers in new markets in Asia and South America, including about 250 megawatts in Japan. Hughes maintained his 2014 earnings forecast of $2.40 to $2.80 a share for the year.

“The days of 500 megawatt plants have sailed,” Angelo Zino, an analyst at SP Capital IQ in New York, said in an interview before the statement was released. “First Solar needs to compete more in the 50- to 100-megawatt range and develop outside the U.S.” Zino has a buy rating on the shares.

First Solar fell 7.3 percent to $52.30 at 5:12 p.m. in late trading in New York.

Desert Sunlight

First Solar’s sales for the third quarter of last year almost doubled when it added about half the revenue from the 550-megawatt Desert Sunlight project in Southern California to its balance sheet.

That, and the company’s 550-megawatt Topaz project, are the biggest in the U.S., and First Solar has nothing else of that scale in its pipeline.

First Solar is working to increase the output of its panels and make them better suited for commercial projects.

Average conversion efficiency, the amount of electricity produced from sunlight, rose to 14.2 percent in the third quarter, and Hughes said today on a conference call that will reach 15.9 percent in 2015. The company has reported efficiency rates as high as 17 percent in a laboratory.

“Getting the efficiency up will help them penetrate more of the space-constrained areas like commercial rooftops,” Zino said.

First Solar plans to begin increasing production capacity by as much as 46 percent in Ohio and Malaysia next year, partly because efficiency improvements have helped win orders, said Chief Financial Officer Mark Widmar.

“We’ve been able to increase our win rates in the market,” Widmar said on the call. “The technology has become more and more competitive.”

Another reason to boost capacity is an expected increase in demand in the U.S. over the next two years, Hughes said.

“We’re optimistic” that demand for projects will increase ahead of the reduction in U.S. tax incentives in 2017.

Copyright 2014 Bloomberg

Lead image: Money in vice via Shutterstock

CHANGZHOU, CHINA—(eSolarEnergyNews)— Trina Solar, a global leader in photovoltaic modules, solutions, and services, today announced it completed the supply of 7.8 MW modules to power ten rooftop solar power plants in Thailand, which are developed by subsidiaries of Nathalin Welstar Energy Ltd.

A total of 31,200 Honey modules (TSM-PC05A) will be installed on Siam Global House rooftops across Thailand, a nation-wide home improvement and construction materials retailer. The installations are expected to provide an annual output of 800 kWh, which will account for 95% of the facilities’ electricity needs. The rooftop solar projects are among the first distributed generation power plants in the Thai rooftop market since the Thai National Energy Policy Commission (NEPC) announced a feed-in tariff for rooftop solar power plants in July 2013. Revenue will be recognized in the fourth quarter of 2014.

«This is a significant development in the adoption of solar power in Thailand and we are delighted to provide our power-efficient and high-quality modules to support these rooftop solar projects,» said Helena Li, Managing Director of Asia Pacific Middle East Region at Trina Solar. «It demonstrates the growing demand for our products in emerging markets and broadens Trina Solar’s global footprint. We are encouraged by the Thai government’s efforts to promote green initiatives and are proud to support the development of solar energy in Thailand.»

The German company Kaco new energy GmbH has opened a new plant in San Antonio, Texas. The new manufacturing facility covers an area of almost 4,000 m2, making it Kaco’s largest in the U.S., and will produce IPS 2.0 inverter stations in the future. Kaco’s Service Department is also located in San Antonio, from where operations inside of the U.S. will be coordinated.