aleo solar AG (Oldenburg, Prenzlau, Germany) is holding initial meetings with potential investors on the acquisition of a majority interest in the solar module manufacturer, the company announces. Majority shareholder Robert Bosch GmbH declared its withdrawal from the crystalline photovoltaics sector at the end of March. Since then, a buyer has been sought for the Bosch Group’s shares (90.7 percent) in aleo solar AG. Read more...

aleo solar AG (Oldenburg, Prenzlau, Germany) is holding initial meetings with potential investors on the acquisition of a majority interest in the solar module manufacturer, the company announces. Majority shareholder Robert Bosch GmbH declared its withdrawal from the crystalline photovoltaics sector at the end of March. Since then, a buyer has been sought for the Bosch Group’s shares (90.7 percent) in aleo solar AG. Read more...

JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. (Shanghai, China) announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with GRID Alternatives. JinkoSolar will to donate 150 kilowatts (kW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for training of volunteers and installation exclusively for low-income homeowners. Read more...

Talks between the EU and China over the solar photovoltaic (PV) trade dispute broke down after the first round, according to a statement from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME). Read more...

SunPower Corporation (San Jose, California, US) has proposed the issuance of USD 300 million in convertible notes, to mature on June 1st, 2018. Parent company Total SA (Courbevoie, France) has agreed to purchase USD 200 million of these bonds, assuming that the other USD 100 million is sold. The bonds will pay interest semi-annually, at a rate of 0.75% annually, and SunPower expects the sale of the bonds to close on May 29th, 2013. Read more...

On May 23rd, 2013 Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E, San Francisco, California, US) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) held a dedication ceremony for a sodium-sulfur battery system in San Jose, California. According to PG&E, the Yerba Buena Battery Energy Storage System Pilot Project has the potential to support increased penetration of wind and solar resources on California's electric grid, and is currently undergoing testing. At 4 MW, the system is California's single largest battery system. Read more...

On May 23nd, 2013 UK Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change Greg Barker traveled to Brussels with a delegation from the UK solar industry to argue against punitive EU tariffs on Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) imports. Barker stated on his Twitter account that he had written personally to all 26 EU Environment ministers to urge them to vote against anti-dumping tariffs. Various publications have reported that these tariffs have been authorized by the European Commission in a preliminary decision, but still require the approval of a majority of EU nations. Read more...

On May 21st, 2013 the EU parliament passed a non-binding resolution calling for a mandatory EU-wide target for renewable energy in 2030, but did not decide on that target. The initial motion was approved 339-336, however a proposal to set a mandate between 40% and 45% of the overall energy mix by 2030 was voted down 365-284. The European Commission is currently working under an assumption of 30% renewable energy by 2050. Read more...

On May 21st, 2013, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power (San Diego, California, US) announced that Consolidated Edison Development has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in two Sempra's large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in the U.S. Under the agreement, Consolidated Edison Development and Sempra each will own a 50% interest the 150-megawatt (MW) Copper Mountain Solar 2 plant near Las Vegas, Nevada, and the 150-MW Mesquite Solar 1 power plant near Phoenix, Arizona. Read more...

Fronius USA Solar Electronics Division has launched the new Fronius Service Program. The service program helps solar photovoltaic (PV) system installers maximize customer energy yields by certifying them to complete board-level replacements in the field, reducing system downtime to minutes instead of days. Read more...

Navigant Research (Boulder, Colorado, US) has released a new report stating that more than 480 micro-grid projects are proposed, planned, under construction, or operating worldwide, representing nearly 3,800 megawatts (MW) of capacity. The report “Microgrid Deployment Tracker 2Q13” provides data on micro-grid projects in the proposal, planning, and deployed stages, including details on the various technologies employed in individual projects. Read more...