All Prism Platform solutions include EDGE Adaptive Control Architecture (ACA)™, enabling instant voltage stabilization, frequency control, and dynamic grid support. EDGE ACA secures the continuous operation of the PV plant in the event of dynamic ground faults and achieves the performance guidelines set forth by the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW 2008 Grid Connection Standard).

This site is expected to be energized in March 2013.

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“With the increasing concern of silver, we created a back-side paste with reduced silver content that maintains excellent performance,” said Andy London, Vice President of Heraeus Precious Metals North America Conshohocken LLC in West Conshohocken. “We’re looking forward to speaking with customers about SOL205S.


Heraeus recognizes that silver is an important cost factor in the manufacturing of cells and therefore continues to reduce silver content and the amount of paste per cell. Heraeus has reduced the silver content of SOL205S to 52 percent, but the product maintains high performance with excellent adhesion, solderability and printability.

About the Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit

Heraeus manufactures high volumes of thick film pastes for some of the most prominent companies within a variety of industries. For over 40 years, the company has built a reputation of innovation, extensive research and new product development in this field. The Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit applies its innovative technology to the field of photovoltaics, offering silver pastes for crystalline solar cells. The Heraeus SOL Series of silver pastes is specially formulated to provide higher efficiencies and wider processing windows, resulting in better yields and higher output for cell manufacturers.

Heraeus, the precious metals and technology group headquartered in Hanau, Germany, is a global, private company with 160 years of tradition. Our fields of competence include precious metals, materials, and technologies, sensors, biomaterials, and medical products, as well as dental products, quartz glass, and specialty light sources. With product revenues of €4.1 billion and precious metal trading revenues of €17.9 billion, as well as more than 12,900 employees in over 120 subsidiaries worldwide, Heraeus holds a leading position in its global markets.

Source: Businesswire

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“Our experience with MAC Electric and GreenVolts has been very positive. In fact, we have recently approved yet another project with GreenVolts and MAC Electric.”


“The City of Somerton’s vision of a comprehensive renewable energy solution in their community is industry leading and includes multiple applications to meet the City’s needs,” said David Gudmundson, president and CEO of GreenVolts. “Our vision is complementary to theirs in that GreenVolts provides a complete and fully integrated system adaptable to multiple applications and ideal for water treatment, commercial and industrial buildings, parking lots, water supply, and many others.”

“These solar projects are the result of the City of Somerton’s commitment to providing clean, dependable, affordable energy that will help our economy and benefit our community for many years into the future,” said Martin Porchas, Mayor of the City of Somerton. “Our experience with MAC Electric and GreenVolts has been very positive. In fact, we have recently approved yet another project with GreenVolts and MAC Electric.”

The City of Somerton is on the leading edge of a trend toward high performance, high yield solar systems. Solar industry analysts predict that growth will be highest in high DNI (direct normal irradiance, a measure of amount of strong, direct sun) areas. GreenVolts systems perform best in these regions, such as the Southwest United States, when compared to other technologies. GreenVolts has focused on serving customers in this area, now adding the City of Somerton to several installations recently completed in Arizona, New Mexico, and California.

“GreenVolts offers a complete system. It eliminates the need for integration, simplifies installation, speeds construction, and lowers costs,” said Ari Harrington, president of MAC Electric, Inc. “ISIS®, which is included with the system to manage this portfolio of installations, is unlike any other energy management software available and will make O&M easier and more efficient.”

Source: Businesswire

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Jim Nelson, CEO of Solar3D

Solar3D, Inc. (OTCBB: SLTD) the developer of a breakthrough 3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the conversion of sunlight into electricity, announced that Jim Nelson, the company’s CEO, has been invited to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in a hearing that was today held on Wednesday, May 16.

The Committee’s interest is in learning more about the impact of the government’s loan guarantee program, as contrasted with Solar3D’s success in financing the development of its technology with private investment.

“This is a great opportunity to tell our story and to discuss what we think is important in government management of renewable energy development,” said Nelson.

Inspired by light management techniques used in fiber optic devices, the company’s innovative solar cell technology utilizes a 3-dimensional design to trap sunlight inside micro-photovoltaic structures where photons bounce around until they are converted into electrons. Solar3D’s management believes that this breakthrough solar cell design can produce 200% the power output of current silicon solar cells.

The company’s analysis indicates that a typical 17% efficient solar cell performs more like a 5% efficient cell when light is shining 20 degrees from the side, such as during the morning or evening hours. Due to an innovative wide-angle light collection feature, the company estimates that its Solar3D cell can maintain a high 25% efficiency for a longer period of time, over the course of a day and year. This translates into 200% more power than conventional solar cells and a system payback period that is approximately half the time of the current solar technologies.

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Solar fields such as this are helping energy customers realize that their monthly utility costs can be turned into “ENERGY DOLLARS” that become valuable “ENERGY ASSETS.”

A utility basically pools customers into segments and treats all customers within that segment exactly the same by pooling their bill payments.


Customers are actually very different from each other and this solar application proves how customers are becoming aware of that difference. They realize the actual value of their “ENERGY DOLLARS” and how those dollars can be used as an investment instead of a utility expense.

Utilities allocate customer payments based on utility rate designs that are not negotiable and focus on the average performing customer. “ENERGY DOLLARS” invested in “ENERGY ASSETS” focus on the customer as an individual making their own energy decisions for their own energy future. No customer likes having the utility control their power purchase especially when the decisions are made based on an average customer.

The Coachella and Imperial Valleys, with an abundant solar resource, are beginning a revolution in agricultural solar that leads the nation in the way “ENERGY DOLLARS” are invested in “ENERGY ASSETS.” The ability to take back control of their own energy destiny will ensure the long term competitiveness of individual customers. Independent Solar Developers is supporting those customers by making it easier to transition to this new era.

This marks a transition away from dependence on the utility for energy. “This installation is a great milestone for Independent Solar Developers,” said Peter Molloy of Independent Solar Developers. “We are very pleased with our accomplishment. It is the result of our commitment to renewable energy and the motivation to provide alternative investments for energy dollars compared to the utility electricity bill.”

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The product, PowerShield® 3W, is a cost-effective backsheet for photovoltaic panels that helps protect the electrical circuits in solar panel modules, preventing moisture from entering the module and keeping electrical charges within the module. These features help the module retain maximum power output while maintaining electrical safety.

PowerShield 3W is a laminate that is bound by a proprietary adhesive specifically designed for photovoltaic applications. The adhesive helps make the laminate the most durable backsheet available from Honeywell to date.


“We are committed to developing solutions that increase the performance and overall lifetime of solar panels. Honeywell’s latest innovative backsheet, PowerShield 3W, provides solar panel manufacturers with cost-effective and reliable protection for their modules,” said Jerry Buchanan, global business manager for Honeywell’s photovoltaic backing systems business. “This backsheet has been proven to perform in some of the most rigorous conditions.”

PowerShield 3W is available now, and leading module manufacturers are already including it in module designs.

Independent photovoltaic-industry laboratory tests show that PowerShield 3W can withstand more than 3,000 hours of accelerating aging exposure at 85°C (185°F) and 85 percent relative humidity without losing structural integrity.

The backsheet’s superior adhesive offers excellent resistance to discoloration due to aging, which helps solar modules retain their appearance and reflectivity. Like all PowerShield backsheets, PowerShield 3W offers high resistance to environmental degradation from sunlight, heat, cold and humidity; strong resistance to acids, bases, solvents, salts and other chemicals; and resistance to excessive moisture infiltration within a module.

The technology behind PowerShield 3W is based on Honeywell’s more than 30 years of experience as the world’s leading manufacturer of high-barrier films for food packaging, industrial and healthcare applications, including packaging that protects drugs sold by the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

Honeywell has an active and global research and development program for photovoltaic backsheets, with laboratories in Morris Township, New Jersey, and Shanghai, China.

The Honeywell PowerShield supply chain provides module makers with a single point of contact for every component of their backsheet, helping ensure a reliable supply and quality.

Honeywell also offers printable dopants and chemicals for the manufacture of solar cells, the SOLARC™ anti-reflective coating for solar panels, and solar panel installation sales and services.

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By 2016, Pike Research forecasts, sustainable telecom network infrastructure investments will represent over 61% of global telecom capital expenditures, representing a $194 billion market. Of these investments, 65% will go into mobile networks in 2016.


“Green power is not feasible or economical at all locations,” says research director Eric Woods. “In most cases, some type of green power supply can be deployed, but there are areas where this is not an option or the ROI is too low to justify. Services such as network and site planning can also reduce the energy needed to run a network, and vendors are also placing more emphasis on their own supply chains to reduce energy consumption and decrease emissions.”

Within mobile networks, base stations and switching centers may consume 60% to 85% of an operator’s network energy usage, so improvements here are critical. Concentrating on improvements in radio frequency (RF) amplifiers, switches, new network architectures and topologies, fresh air cooling solutions, and the use of sustainable energy solutions for off-grid locations, service providers and vendors are combining forces to make sure that the newer 4G networks require less power than legacy networks. As a result, Pike Research forecasts that emissions levels associated with mobile networks will decline to 251 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) by 2016 versus 266 MtCO2e for 2011.

Pike Research’s report, “Green Telecom Networks,” focuses on the direct impact of green technologies and practices as applied to telecommunications networks. Specifically addressed are the market drivers and business decisions that drive the usage and implementation of green practices across fixed and mobile networks. In addition, quantitative market forecasts through 2016 are provided to describe the effects of these green technologies and practices on operational and environmental costs. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

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Skyline Innovations’ industry leading $30 million solar heating project financing arrangement with WGL Holdings, Inc. will be used to address the growing market opportunity for solar hot water and customer demand for savings. Based in Washington, D.C., Skyline recently expanded its operations to serve the California market with the opening of an office in Los Angeles.


“We are excited to expand availability of our offering to the West Coast,” said Zach Axelrod, CEO of Skyline Innovations. “It serves as yet another proof point to the viability of providing customers a fixed, discounted utility rate for commercial-scale solar thermal.”

Unlike traditional water heating systems that use traditional fuels like electricity to heat water, Skyline Innovations uses solar collectors. The use of this clean, free energy source allows Skyline to provide a fixed discount off of its customers’ current and future utility rate. This is a key differentiator from other solar financing offerings that lock customers into a price per unit of energy provided or escalating monthly fee. By structuring its customer agreements in this way, and unlike conventional solar financing, Skyline eliminates all financial risk to the customer from utility rate fluctuation. In addition to all of these benefits, Skyline provides its systems at no upfront cost.

“Skyline Innovations’ business model and technology platform make it a leader in the solar heating and cooling space,” explains Rick Moore, Division Head of Strategy and Business Development at Washington Gas, a subsidiary of WGL Holdings, Inc. “Skyline’s continued expansion aligns with our strategic position and vision of supporting clean and efficient energy solutions in high growth segments of the energy market.”

Williams Holdings’ systems will be eligible for the California Solar Initiative’s Thermal Program. This program offers rebates of up to $500,000 for affordable multifamily housing units that install solar thermal units to displace natural gas water heating. The systems were installed by California Solar Thermal and SunUp Energy of San Diego.

“This agreement makes sense for our residents, our buildings and the environment,” said Kameron Segal, founder and CEO of Williams Holdings. “Skyline’s strong business model gave us the confidence to green our properties, in turn reducing our operating expenses.”

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1bRxG)

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WING series modules are marked by improved ergonomic design and aesthetics. Thinner than any similar product on the market at only 30 to 40 millimetres thick, the 0.5 kilogram lightweight modules are optimized for ground mount systems, yet also ideal for rooftop applications. These size and weight improvements increase packing density to allow for 6 solar modules rather than 3 per box, thus enabling a significant reduction in transportation costs.

Additional design improvements include rounded corners to make the installation process safer and more convenient. Junction boxes applied to WING series are potted junction box with IP 67 protection standard. This effectively protects key module components from water damage and extreme conditions by using a large area of copper for heat dissipation.

Along with improvements to the physical structure, the WING series also achieves an increase in efficiency. The power output of a 60-cell polycrystalline solar module can reach up to 260W with a conversion efficiency of 16.05%. All modules in the series received IEC 2400Pa Mechanical Load Test Certificate and passed 5400Pa Mechanical Load Test in Jinko’s UL WTDP lab. The WING modules yielded superior stress analysis results comparative to older products.

“JinkoSolar continues to strive be better than we were yesterday,” said Kangping Chen, CEO of JinkoSolar. “We are committed to providing our customers with the most cost-efficient products in an increasingly competitive market, and we are confident that our new WING modules will deliver a superior experience. JinkoSolar works hard to ensure added value and better ROI for our customers and investors.”

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The 2.1 MW project is Trina Solar’s largest off-grid system project in China in recent years, following the construction of approximately 40 standalone power stations in 2002 in the Chamdo region of Tibet.


“We are very pleased to have been selected by Longyuan (Tibet) for the Naqu project,” said Jifan Gao, Chairman and CEO of Trina Solar. “Quality irradiance in this highly elevated region underscores its suitability for such a project. We are committed to providing quality products and excellent service in implementing this project, which we believe can benefit the local population.”

“This off-grid project, which differs from utility scale projects in terms of set-up and components, will use our specially-designed PC20 off-grid modules,” said Mark Kingsley, Chief Commercial Officer of Trina Solar. “We believe the off-grid market has the potential to bring another dimension of growth to the Company. These installations, believed to be one of the largest off-grid module orders in China, are especially suited for Tibet’s environment owing to its clean air, excellent sunlight, and challenges of rugged topography to extend traditional distributed power. We are especially pleased to be supplying our solutions in the Tibet Region, where our legacy projects from ten years ago are still improving lives.”

Naqu Prefecture is located in Northern Tibet, bordering with Xinjiang and Qinghai, with total area of more than 400,000 square kilometers. It is situated on an altitude of 4,500 meters. The territory possesses basins, lakes, rivers and forests, and as one of the few crop-producing areas of Tibet. With an average 2,900 sunlight hours per year, the region is highly suited to PV solar generation.

Naqu is one of the Tibetan areas lacking distributed grid power. Trina Solar hopes that the new off-grid project will alleviate the electricity shortages of the farmers and herdsmen, thereby improving the quality of life, while promoting local economic and social development in the region.

Source: PR Newswire

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“We have ambitious exploration targets offshore Newfoundland, and securing rig capacity is essential for reaching those targets,” says Geir Richardsen, head of Exploration for Statoil in Canada. “We look forward to putting this rig’s capabilities into action.”

Starting late 2012, Statoil will begin a three-well drilling program, offshore Newfoundland, including two exploration wells in the Flemish Pass Basin as well as an exploration well in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin. “I am pleased that the company has acquired future rig capacity as exploration activity is a key component of Statoil’s ambitions to become a producing operator offshore Newfoundland,” says Kjell Magnus Myge, head of Procurement for Statoil in Canada.

The West Aquarius drilling rig is a sixth generation semi-submersible DP3 vessel built in South Korea in 2009. The vessel can operate in harsh environments up to 3,000 m water depth. The rig has been taken on as an assignment from ExxonMobil Deepwater Rig Limited.

Statoil is an international energy company with high ambitions for international growth, and with business operations in 37 countries around the world. Statoil’s North American activities are managed out of two main offices located in Houston, Texas, USA and Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Statoil also has offices in Anchorage, Alaska, Austin, Texas, Stamford, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Williston, North Dakota, USA and St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.

SOURCE Statoil Canada Limited

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1bHPn)

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Here it is:

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-9) both confirmed they will be participating in the Federation for American Coal Energy and Security’s (FACES of Coal) Appalachian Coal Jobs Rally on June 2nd in Abingdon, VA. The Rally is being billed as a celebration of Appalachian Coal Jobs and will feature live entertainment as well as an open forum to highlight the importance of coal to Virginia and the country. Other confirmed participants include Virginia U.S. Senate candidate George Allen, Virginia Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Tennessee Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey and Congressman Phil Roe (TN-1). The rally is being coordinated with the Eastern Coal Council and includes participation from several Virginia and Appalachian based businesses.

“We want to make sure President Obama and his EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson know that people here in Appalachia are sick and tired of being persecuted by his Administration,” said Congressman Griffith. “These are the people who produce jobs, produce electricity, produce the things we use every day in this country. I’m proud of them, and I will fight for them.”

Governor McDonnell commented, “Coal mining supports tens of thousands of Virginia jobs. In southwest Virginia, mining is a vocation, an economic driver, and a way of life that has defined these communities for generations. Those who dedicate their lives developing natural resources for the betterment of their fellow Virginians should be championed and we should all partner to support them. Their efforts are helping the Commonwealth realize the dream of becoming the energy capital of the East Coast as Virginia continues to be a leader in the exploration and development of traditional energy sources such as clean coal.”

Recently released EPA rules, including the Utility MACT Rule, will have devastating effects on Appalachian and Virginia coal mining operations. These actions come on the heels of the two year surface mining permit moratorium the Obama Administration’s EPA has had in place throughout Appalachia.

“Coal is a huge part of Virginia’s economy; whether it is in the coal fields, the ports in Hampton Roads or the affordable electricity Virginia businesses enjoy across the state, coal is a jobs creator,” said Petrina Jones, executive director of Virginia FACES of Coal. “This rally is an opportunity for coal supporters to come together and send a message to Washington D.C. that the bureaucratic attacks on coal and coal communities need to stop.”

Other invited speakers include Presidential Candidates Governor Mitt Romney and Congressman Ron Paul, U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine and U.S. Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner.

The Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal) is an alliance of more than 75,000 people from all walks of life who are joining forces to educate lawmakers and the general public about the importance of coal and coal mining to our local and national economies and to our nation’s energy security. In addition to keeping tens of thousands of people employed in good-paying jobs, coal is the lifeblood of our domestic energy supply, generating nearly half the electricity consumed in the United States today.

SOURCE Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal), PrNewswire

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This facility has already created a strong relationship with the community and solar advocacy associations in South Carolina and beyond.

REFUsol also announced an investment of $1.5 million as it boosts production of the inverters. “The U.S. market is the fastest growing solar market,” said Ben Driver, CEO of REFUsol, Inc. “It is both essential and imperative that REFUsol supports the U.S. jobs market and manufactures the products here that will be sold in the United States. We’re looking forward to growing in this increasingly robust marketplace.”

Inverters are electrical devices that convert direct current, DC, to alternating current, AC, at any required voltage and frequency with the use of appropriate transformers, switching and control circuits. Inverters are commonly used to supply AC power from DC sources such as solar panels or wind turbines. REFUsol’s inverters were tested for safety in October of 2011 and received official certificates from Underwriters Laboratories.

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