Martifer Solar's 50MW Automated Module Production Line Completed
Martifer Solar and Spire Corporation jointly announced that Martifer Solar accepted last month Spire's 50 MW per year automated module production. Both Spire and Martifer are fully satisfied with the performance of the Portuguese company's photovoltaic factory. The fully automated turnkey module manufacturing line uses robotic systems for material handling and processing. (...) Spire has successfully automated the steps that are typically done manually. These included automation of string bussing, encapsulate trimming, module framing, junction box attachment, hi-pot testing and module simulation characterization.

China hikes 2011 solar power target
China is aiming for an installed solar power capacity of 2 GW by 2011, nearly a 15-fold jump from the 140 mW capacity it had at the end of last year (...) The National Energy Administration has decided to expand the country's solar power capacity to 2 GW in the next two years, with a subsidized price for solar power of 1.09 yuan per kWh [three times the rate paid by coal-fired power plants]. (...) The solar industry has been hit hard since the end of last year due to freezing credit resulting from the financial crisis and an oversupply of solar panels that have cut prices sharply. (...) The government in March approved a subsidy of 20 yuan per watt for solar PV systems larger than 50 kW fixed on building roofs. The subsidy, which could cover half the cost of installing the system, was popular among developers, attracting applications equivalent to the building of 1 GW of solar power, Reuters reported earlier.

Solar Stocks Eclipsed - Plunging prices will hurt makers of solar power cells this year
[R]apidly falling prices for photovoltaic systems amid fierce competition for customers during the recession as well as scarce financing for new projects [is leading to] solar buyers putting off their purchases, guessing that they can get the same amount of power for less money if they wait a few months, writes Deutsche Bank solar analyst Steve O'Rourke in a recent report. There are several types of solar cells on the market, and some manufacturers can claim higher efficiency, but solar power is a basically a commoditized business. Customers buy based on the price per watt of installed power. As the recession cuts into corporate spending on technology, prices look set to fall from $2.50 a watt to $2.00 in the next few months, to just $1.85 by next year, predicts O'Rourke.

Central da Amareleja leva Acciona e Mitsubishi a fazerem aliança global
A espanhola Acciona e a japonesa Mitsubishi anunciaram hoje o estabelecimento de uma aliança estratégica internacional para o desenvolvimento de projectos de energia renovável, depois de em Março a Acciona ter vendido à Mitsubishi uma posição de 34% na central solar da Amareleja, no Alentejo, que a Acciona controlava totalmente.

Cerca de cem postos de carregamento [de automóveis eléctricos] até ao final de 2010
Uma centena de postos de carregamento eléctrico espalhados por Lisboa e com data de entrada em funcionamento até ao final de 2010 é o compromisso que a câmara presidida por António Costa deverá anunciar hoje, através da sua agência de energia, a Lisboa E-Nova, cumprindo a tarefa de ser cidade-piloto do projecto de mobilidade eléctrica no país. Os seus responsáveis garantem que a rede será aberta a todas as marcas automóveis e que os utilizadores poderão escolher o fornecedor de energia com a qual abastecerão o carro eléctrico. O sistema em desenvolvimento prevê que cada utilizador adquira um cartão que lhe permitirá o acesso, com recurso às tecnologias de informação, ao serviço de carregamento e às opções associadas, nomeadamente o comercializador de energia e o tipo de carregamento (lento ou rápido).

Swiss team unveils prototype for sun-powered plane
Adventurer Bertrand Piccard on Friday unveiled the Solar Impulse, which, with its sleek white wings and pink trimming, aims to make history as the prototype for a solar-powered flight around the world. "Yesterday it was a dream, today it is an airplane, tomorrow it will be an ambassador of renewable energies," said Piccard (...) The plane will take part in a series of test flights over the next two years, and based on the results of those a new plane will be constructed for the big takeoff, in 2012. (...) The budget for the project is €70 million ($98 million), Piccard said. He and Borschberg said the plane will fly day and night using almost 12,000 solar cells, rechargeable lithium batteries and four electric motors. It will not use an ounce of fuel.

EDP quer liderar salvação da Qimonda de Vila do Conde
O Governo está a promover a criação de um consórcio de investidores nacionais para viabilizar uma das áreas de negócio da Quimonda em Portugal, o que permitirá manter parcialmente a força laboral daquela empresa. (...) [O] consórcio integra pelo menos a EDP, a DST, a Aicep e os bancos BES e Millennium bcp estão disponíveis para viabilizar o negócio da Quimonda Solar, uma empresa que tem como accionista a 51% a própria Quimonda e a Centrosolar com 49% e que quer produzir células solares usadas nas centrais eléctricas fotovoltaicas. (...) O plano em cima da mesa prevê que o consórcio adquira os 51% que a casa-mãe, a Qimonda AG, detém na Qimonda Solar, assegurando assim, juntamente com o grupo alemão Centrosolar a viabilização da empresa. Este negócio que implicará um investimento entre dez e 15 milhões de euros.